Grayish, Greenish Thing in Mouth After No. 17 Extracted

[johnthomas]

I had my number 17 wisdom tooth/third molar out 11 days ago. There was a biopsy due to a cyst and a bone graft involved.

About 7 days after surgery, the swelling had gone down enough that I could see this. It looks to me a bit like a leach or like the intestine of a nightcrawler that comes out when you’re baiting a hook. It seems to be attached somewhere at the gum, but I can’t see it’s origin.

Someone suggested that it could be a suture, but it doesn’t look like the other sutures I can see that look like other sutures I’ve gotten. That is to say, they look like a thick, white thread. This looks organic.

Someone else suggested that it could be a vein that will shrivel and fall off on its own eventually.

I’ve got an appointment to see the oral surgeon again for a followup, but I can’t wait for an answer. This is too bizarre for me to wait.

Any ideas what this could be?

 

[honestdoc]

It looks like a suture. The surgeon had to flap back the gums extending toward that particular location and close it in that fashion to access tooth #17. The suture appears resorbable and will naturally fall off. As long as you are not in intense pain and no swelling, the healing looks good.