How Long Does It Take For Stitches To Dissolve In Mouth?

Any kind of surgery may have its protocols to completely finish the procedure. With such a risky operation, the doctor needs careful hands. Considering dental surgeries, it requires accurate and complete knowledge. Some dental operations such as dental implant or tooth extraction may need stitches for healing. As a patient, you may ask how long does it take for stitches to dissolve in mouth. With sutures for oral surgery, it may take a while until it’s dissolved. During this recovery period, it is important not to neglect your dental hygiene. Follow along this article to know what are the essentials in sutures found in dental surgery.

Stitches For Dental Surgery

A person who just had their tooth extracted may have had stitches along the way. This type of dental method is common when dentists may need to flap the gums. Cutting away the gums to fully see the tooth, bones, or root requires sutures or stitches for repair. It’s a good thing to know that through advance dental technology, stitches are now dissolvable. Now known as sutures, these dissolvable dental wires don’t require the patient to visit the dentist to remove them. On the other hand, there are still many dental procedures that require the normal type of stitches. Ask your dental surgeon if he or she can recommend dissolvable stitches as much as possible.

Types of Stitches

Whether you’re getting a medical or dental surgery, stitches are useful for fully closing wounds. Healing may take a lot of time if the surgeon wasn’t able to stitch back the incisions and cut. Besides that, you may also get infections, diseases, or other health problems. A surgeon will always do this last step so that the patient can heal more properly. Take a look at some of the types of stitches used in both dental and medical surgeries. You may find out how long does it take for stitches to dissolve in the mouth.

Regular

Most regular stitches are not used in dental procedures as they are only for major surgical operations. Some of which are soft tissue repair, cardiovascular problems, or neurological damages. These regular stitches need a visit from the surgeon or doctor again to have them removed. It may take as fast as 3 to 21 days or equivalent to more than 2 weeks for removal. The process all depends on the type of surgery the person had. The materials for regular stitches are usually Nylon, Silk, Polypropylene or Polyester.

Dissolvable Sutures

How does a suture become dissolvable? It’s made up of animal protein or synthetic polymers that are safe for the body to absorb. Dissolvable sutures are used for wisdom tooth extraction, repairing gums, or gum grafting. Don’t panic if you haven’t seen them go away for a while. It may take 2 weeks or more for sutures to dissolve automatically. You may also ask your dentist how long does it take for stitches to dissolve in mouth.

How To Take Care Of Dental Stitches

After dental surgery, the right recovery and care for the mouth are crucial. It is best to avoid any infection, poking, or loose stitches. Be careful when eating or drinking hot food or drinks. You might not feel the burning sensation due to the numbness of anesthesia. It’s also possible that you may get a dry socket in rare occasions. Check with your dentist every day to have cleaning and medicine prescribed to you.