infections

tooth extracted....now white area...smellls....sore.......is this usual....flying on holiday in 2 days getting concerned..sinus s are also hurting

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Which tooth was removed?  If it was an upper tooth, you may have a sinus infection possibly and need antibiotic treatment.

[SugaLuv]

Hi Annie!  

I too had a bottom left molar extracted about 6 weeks ago.  The tooth was originally a root canal gone bad.  I started having this awful smell radiating from my mouth & nose about 2 months b4 I had the extraction done (this is what lead me to the defaulted root canal in the 1st place).  After having the tooth pulled, the smell & the slight pain I had had went away.  Then 3 days later, the smell came right back, as if it had never left.  I went back to the dentist (by the way, the white area is probably the blood clot that formed after the extraction), & was told that the smell is probably the granulation (scar) tissue that forms to promote healing.  The tissue is bright pink & soft.  At 1st U can't see it, but as the bone fill up in the hole, the tissue is pushed to the top & becomes more noticeable.  You may be having the same smell problem as me.  If so, all I have been told to do is be patient, & let the site heal naturally.  I am counting the days to the day that it is completely healed, & the smell is gone.  It is ruining my work & social lives!

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

If its been awhile since your extraction, you can probably be a little more aggressive in trying to keep the area clean and removing any debris that may be causing the smell.  I wouldn't recommend brushing hard or anything but you can try to gently rinse the area out with some mouth wash or warm salt water.