What everybody ought to know about dental bone spurs?

What everybody ought to know about dental bone spurs?

By Dr. Nasar Abdul Wadood in Chief Doctor, Align Dental Care June 27th, 2022

The dental bone spurs are sharp, tiny pieces of bone fragments dislodged from the surrounding tissues but lodged in the gums. Generally, it happens after removing a tooth surgically or getting certain dental procedures. It is our body’s natural way of expelling unwanted bone from the treated site. This is the main reason why many people sense a sharp object stuck in their gums after tooth extraction.

Despite being harmless, these bone spicules evoke some discomforts. Keep reading to know more about the bone spurs that appear in the mouth.

What are the possible causes of bone spicules?

When a tooth is pulled out surgically no matter whether it is decayed or impacted, its bone underneath gets trauma due to the surgical extraction. It is inevitable and the bone begins to heal naturally.

However, some tiny pieces of bone still exist at the extraction site. Our body gets rid of those fragments from the surrounding healing bone. They fall out on their own in most cases. When they trap in the gums during the dislodging process, the bony spurs appear as they erupt from the gums.

Besides tooth extraction, the traumatization of the tooth bone from various surgical dental procedures also develops bony spurs. Meanwhile, traumatic injuries, untreated decay, and various oral illnesses are also associated with causing bone spicules.

What are the potential complications of bone spicules?

Generally, the bone spicules begin to appear after weeks or months of getting a dental procedure. As the bone particles stick out of the gums, you might feel like a sharp object protruding out from the treated site once the bony spurs appear.

It is following by causing some uncomfortable things like: 

Pain in the mouth

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Roughness in the treated areas

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White-colored flakes in the operated region of gums

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Pus, inflammation, and redness in gums but they appear only if the infection happens If implant surgery is performed before the bone spicules completely go away, they will affect the fixed implant teeth as well. The bony fragments trapped in the gums are also responsible for peri-implantitis in certain cases.

How do dentists treat bone spicules?

A tooth extraction site seems clear after the procedure but the bone fragments appear after a few days. Hence dentists use imaging systems like x-rays to determine the existence of bone spurs and whether they are benign or troublesome.

Dentists remove the bony spurs using a minimally invasive surgical procedure if the bone spicules appear harmful. To avoid harmful consequences of bone spicules, dentists perform a procedure called “Alveoloplasty” after removing a tooth. It involves smoothening the jaw bone with special instruments.

If you removed a tooth surgically and received an alveoloplasty procedure, then you should wait at least 65 days to get dental implant surgery.

How can we reduce discomforts associated with a bony protrusion on gums?

The post-care instructions prescribed to follow after getting a dental procedure done promote faster healing. They are also supposed to lessen the discomforts caused by the eruption of bony spurs in the gums. Here are a few tips to get at-home relief: 

Take painkillers and medications

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Do salt water mouth rinse

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Brush and floss your teeth gently

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Use antiseptic mouthwashes to extract the food debris trapped in the operated site.

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Consult your dentist if you see pus, swelling, or if the discomfort at the treatment location worsens.

Is it safe to remove the bone fragments on your own?

Avoid extracting the small bone pieces from the gums without the help of a dentist. It is because the tooth fragments and dislodged tissues in an extraction site also appear the same as the bone spicules. Hence you cannot determine what the protruded thing from the gum is without your dentist’s help.

We have seen many patients who damaged their surrounding tissues in the process of removing the bone spurs themselves.

Bottom line Dental bone spurs primarily grow due to bone damage caused by any tooth reparatory procedures, accidental injuries, infections, or other possible conditions. In such cases, our body tends to remove the unwanted materials in the surrounding bone through the natural eruption.

Such stray bony fragments either fall out on their own or get stuck in the gums. They appear to be protruding from the gums if the bone chips are entrapped in the gum tissues. Luckily, this problem is treatable and the bony spurs can be removed with dental support.