When do wisdom teeth stitches dissolve?
Cited to 4 sources. Reviewed 2026-08-25.
Most dissolvable stitches used after wisdom teeth removal loosen and come out within about 7 to 14 days. The exact timing depends on the suture material: plain gut breaks down in only a few days, while braided synthetic materials such as polyglactin can persist for several weeks. Oral surgeons generally choose sutures intended to hold for roughly 5 to 14 days, which matches how fast gum tissue closes. A stitch coming out early is common and usually harmless if the site is not bleeding.
- Typical dissolve window
- 7-14 days
- Fast materials (plain gut)
- A few days
- Slower synthetics
- Up to about 4 weeks
- Non dissolving stitches
- Removed at a follow up visit
Why the answer is a range, not a number
Different suture materials break down at different speeds. Comparative work on absorbable sutures in oral surgery describes plain gut degrading in roughly 4 days, polyglycolic acid in around 15 days, and polyglactin 910 in about 28 days. Short term absorbable sutures are generally described as being absorbed within 30 days and are the ones chosen for fast healing tissue like oral mucosa.
Absorption also depends on the site, the tension on the stitch and the individual patient. A stitch in the back of the lower jaw sits in a wet, moving, chewing environment, which speeds things up compared with a stitch in skin.
If you do not know which material you have, ask the office. It is a one question phone call and it turns a two week worry into a fact.
Stitches that come out early
This happens constantly and is usually not a problem. Stitches after wisdom teeth removal are often there to hold the gum flap in position while the clot organizes, not to hold a wound edge together under tension the way a skin stitch does.
If a stitch falls out and the area is not bleeding, is not painful and does not gape open, note the day and mention it at your follow up. If it comes out along with fresh bleeding, or the gum visibly opens up over the socket, call your surgeon.
- Do not pull on a loose stitch, even if it is annoying your tongue.
- Do not cut it yourself. Let it release on its own or have the office do it.
- Do not chew on that side while a stitch is dangling.
- It is fine to swallow a dissolvable stitch that has come out.
- If a knot is irritating your cheek or tongue, the office can trim it in a couple of minutes.
Stitches that are still there after two weeks
Some materials genuinely take three or four weeks, so a stitch still present at day 14 is not automatically a problem. Call and ask rather than waiting it out silently, because some surgeons will simply remove it at that point.
Not every wisdom tooth extraction gets dissolvable stitches. Some surgeons use non absorbable sutures and plan to remove them, typically at a visit around one week. If nobody told you which kind you have, that is the other reason to call.
Call your dentist or oral surgeon if
- Fresh bleeding that starts when a stitch releases and does not stop with 30 to 45 minutes of firm gauze pressure
- The gum visibly opening up over the socket after a stitch comes out
- Severe throbbing pain beginning 1 to 3 days after surgery: the classic dry socket pattern
- Pus around a stitch, spreading redness, or a foul taste that does not rinse away
- Fever, or swelling that starts increasing again after it had been improving
- Stitches still fully in place and tight beyond about 3 to 4 weeks
Related questions
Is it bad if my wisdom teeth stitches came out after 3 days?
Usually not. If the site is not bleeding, not gaping and not more painful, it is generally fine. Plain gut sutures in particular break down in only a few days by design.
Can I brush over the stitches?
Gently, once your surgeon has cleared brushing near the site, usually after about 3 days. Use a soft brush and light pressure, and do not scrub at the knot.
Do I need to have dissolvable stitches removed?
No, that is the point of them. If a fragment is still hanging around after a few weeks and irritating you, the office can trim or remove it easily.
Why do I have stitches on one side and not the other?
Surgeons suture based on how much the gum had to be lifted. A tooth that was already erupted may need none, while an impacted tooth on the other side needed a flap raised and closed.
Sources
- A prospective clinical evaluation of the longevity of resorbable sutures in oral mucosa (PubMed (National Library of Medicine))
- Short-Term Hydrolytic Degradation of Mechanical Properties of Absorbable Surgical Sutures: A Comparative Study (PMC (National Library of Medicine))
- Wisdom Teeth Removal: Procedure & Recovery (Cleveland Clinic)
- Incision & Surgical Wound Care: Sutures, Stitches, Steri-Strips & Staples (Cleveland Clinic)
Reviewed against the sources above on 2026-08-25. General information only, not dental advice. Your own provider's aftercare instructions come first.
Keep reading
The gum surface usually closes over a wisdom tooth socket within about 1 to 2 weeks, which is the timeframe MedlinePlus gives for socket healing after an extraction. The bone underneath takes far longer. Human studies of extraction sockets describe bone filling most of the socket by around 10 weeks and the socket being completely filled at roughly 15 weeks, and Cleveland Clinic notes that large teeth may need up to four months. That gap is why a visible dimple at week 3 is normal.
Most wisdom teeth recoveries follow the same shape: bleeding and numbness on day 1, swelling peaking around 48 hours, the worst pain on days 2 to 4, and clear improvement from day 4 onward. Cleveland Clinic reports most people resume normal activities within 3 to 5 days and are fully recovered in 1 to 2 weeks. The socket itself keeps filling in underneath for several more weeks, which is why the hole can still be visible at week 3 or 4 even when you feel fine.
Start brushing your other teeth gently the day after wisdom teeth removal, and stay away from the extraction sites for at least 3 days. That is the instruction MedlinePlus gives for tooth extractions, and Cleveland Clinic says the same thing for wisdom teeth: keep brushing and flossing everything else daily, but avoid the surgical areas until your surgeon clears them. Skipping oral hygiene entirely is the wrong move, because bacteria building up around a healing wound is its own problem.
Swelling after wisdom teeth removal usually peaks around 48 hours and then falls, with most of it gone by the end of the first week. Research on third molar surgery consistently finds that both swelling and jaw stiffness reach their maximum on the second day and subside by the end of week one, with mouth opening typically back to baseline near day 7. Bruising along the jaw can take a little longer to fade. Swelling that starts increasing again after day 3 is the pattern to worry about.