Tooth debris under gums?!
Question:
Tooth debris under gums?
For about a week or so my gum back behind my last tooth has been sore. I could feel with my tongue that it was swollen or had a bump however I could not see it very well in a mirror. It appeared to be a little bit red back there. Today, while eating, something got stuck back there so I picked it out with my finger then I felt something else and picked it out and started to chew and it was really hard...not food. I pulled it out and it looked like a jagged little piece of tooth, really small, but I have no broken tooth in my mouth. I did have my wisdom teeth taken out a couple of years ago, could it have been left over from that? My gum quit hurting as soon as that came out, and I don't feel any inflammation back there with my tongue nor do I feel and tenderness. Any suggestions as to what it could have been?
Answers:
Yes, you are right in assuming it had to do with the removal of a wisdom tooth. Sometimes a tiny sliver of tooth or bone remains after wisdom tooth extraction especially if the wisdom tooth was impacted and had to be surgically removed. Sometimes it just takes a while for the sliver to work its way down in the gumline and start to irritate the gum.
Thats great you got it out yourself!