Wisdom Tooth Socket Not Healing

[Junior731]

I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed last Wednesday (August 12th, 2009) My two lower teeth were impacted, the two on the top were slightly erupted. On the Saturday after my surgery I was drinking a milkshake and a bit of phlegm developed so instinctively I created a bit of a vacuum in my mouth to get it all together so I could spit it out. I immediately felt a pain in the lower right socket so I got a piece of gauze and put it back there and bit down on it. I was fine for a few days, until Tuesday. I was having a dull throbbing pain so I called my surgeon's office and they asked me a few questions. They didn't think it was an infection (I don't seem to think so either - it doesn't hurt when I poke it with a water pik) but they said it could either be that it was a dry socket, or that I still required pain medication, so they phoned in a prescription for some tylenol 3's and some ibuprofen. The pain went away and hasn't come back (I'm still taking the meds.) My concern is this: I keep unintentionally disturbing the socket (I'm doing my best to leave it alone) and it doesn't appear to be healing. At all. When I look in the mirror in the bathroom, my other lower socket appears to be almost completely healed over, but the lower right one has a piece of the suture sticking out and it's still wide open. When cleaning the sockets with the water pik I don't feel any pain at all, but sometimes, depending on how forcefully I press the plunger, there is a moderate discomfort. I'm wondering if anyone is able to tell me if this is anything I should worry about or if I should just leave it be...or if I should get my surgeon on the phone and ask him to take a look at it. It's very annoying that I keep disturbing the socket, and I'm wondering if it will heal at all.

[Top 3 Dentists]

It sounds like you are healing normally. Sometimes one side takes longer than the other to heal. As long as the pain is improving, you do not have any new swelling coming along, no puss or infection, you should be fine. Make sure you visit the surgeon to have them evaluate the healing too and remove the sutures if needed.

[Junior731]

Also, is it normal to wake up with an odd taste in my mouth after the surgery? I wake up and spit out some yellowish stuff, brush my teeth and rinse with salt water/clean the sockets with the water pik and the "discharge"(if we want to call it that) doesn't return until I go to sleep and wake up the next morning.

[Top 3 Dentists]

no there should be no discharge. This is not normal

[tjuls]

I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out about a week and a half ago and mine are still not completely healed. But I can see them slowly healing. I, too are constantly checking them out with my tongue but its only natural.

Were recommended to use savacol? Because i got told to use savacol to rinse out my mouth and I know that kills my taste buds and I get a funny taste in my mouth in the morning before I brush my teeth.

I think you should double check with ur surgeon, but it may be due to the salt water rinse? Savacol helped when I felt an infection coming on- even though I rinsed my mouth out with listerine- which doesnt help to keep bacteria down.
Try an antiseptic rinse solution like savacol. I know you have to pay for it, but it might just fix ur problem.