Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi pawsdoc,

I believe this photo is of your lower right side, yes?

The dentist made a very long incision when he removed the wisdom tooth. The tooth must have been horizontally impacted and he needed to flap the tissue down to gain access.

The gum tissue along the incision is pulled away from the gingival ridge (the bone) and you have developed a lot of fibrous and granuloma tissue which is normal but it also is why the incision line is not closing. This tissue would feel lumpy and you could have more of it in other areas as well.

Did you have this build up of tissue when you saw the oral surgeon on friday or did it develop since then?

It is sometimes best not to suture this incision closed as it is acting like a drain for bacteria to come out of. Generally this type of incision will heal on it's own but it may take a few weeks. But if the tissue grows a lot more bulky or you develop pain/ swelling or anything that indicates it is not healing then you should see the surgeon. It is also best not to use your tooth brush in that area as you could push debris into that opening. You could use a clean soft cotton q-tip dipped in diluted peroxide or salted water to clean that area. It is not necessary to remove this tissue at this stage as it will slough off on it's own. Just gently clean the plaque off of the tooth as best as you can with the wet q-tip and keep rinsing with the warm salt water.

Also, it looks like you have a moderate amount of tartar build up on those teeth. Once this heals, it would be wise to have your teeth cleaned to remove that tartar.

Hope this information is helpful to you. Thanks for posting the picture!