Figure 2:

Timeline of oral wound healing and oral mucosal remodeling. Following injury, the hemostatic cascade is initiated to prevent excessive bleeding at the wound site (2–1). In the days following injury, inflammation peaks through neutrophil debridement and macrophage-mediated secretion of inflammatory cytokines (2–2). Within a week, the proliferation phase promotes fibroblast migration, increases vascular networks by angiogenesis, and enhances macrophage migration (2–3). Following fibroblast migration, the tissue surrounding the defect begins to re-epithelialize and mature by aligned fibrillar and dense collagen networks (2–4).