Dry Socket Healing Time and Medications

I recently had a tooth extracted on Tuesday and by Friday afternoon I was beginning to hurt very badly!  I had to wait until Monday (today) the following week to get it checked due to the dentist office being closed.  I tried to manage the pain with 800 mg of Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours.  On Monday I was told I had dry socket.  The dentist irrigated it and packed it with a medicated gauze, however, he did not give me a prescription for an antibiotic, just Loracet.  I am still in quite a bit of pain, but not as bad as I was.  I took the packing out of the tooth hole about 6 hours later on Monday so I could eat and drink, hope that was okay.  It did start hurting after the packing was removed.  The medicine made it feel much much better, it just tasted nasty.  I have to go back to the dentist tomorrow (Tuesday) so he can irrigate it and pack it again.  I just want this pain to be over with.  This is worse than the actual toothache I had.  Should he have given me an antibiotic, and how long will it take to start feeling better?


This discussion is related to dry socket pain and healing.

[scottma]

Administration of appropriate antibiotics can generally relieve the pain in 3 days.

[melinpain]

just went threw the same thing except my doctor gave me an antibiotic. I have to agree the pain is almost worse kinda like a horror movie. I wake up with it eat with it and dream with it. is there any thing you have heard to help with healing?

[julietau]

I have two dry sockets even now - I had four impacted teeth taken out a week from last Thursday and what they've done for me is put medicated dressings in them which last for at most two days. they take it out and then rinse it and then put another in, and it does taste nasty - like cloves- but it makes it feel worlds better, especially that first day and then half the second day until they replace it. they gave you gauze? that you remove yourself?

[Luvmysmile]

A dry socket is very painful!  The blood clot has not formed or has dislodged.  The "dressing" we use in my office is gelfoam with a medication and it is packed in the socket and sometimes sutured to keep it in.  This takes the place of the blood clot that should have been there.
Don't remove the "gauze" yourself.  It should stay in there until the dentist otherwise thinks it should be removed.  Our method desolves and does not have to be removed.  Antibiotics are also prescribed and you are usually feeling better within 1-2 days.
Good luck.....

[krisstqatyahoodotcom]

I have a method of fixing dry socket that works absolutely 100% of the time... on the lower half of your mouth anyway... It won't help much if the upper is the affected one.
#1: Get a syringe of any type and fill it with your own blood
#2: Break the needle off by bending it back and forth in your fingers
#3: Squirt a bit of blood in the hole every few minutes until the blood in the needle is coagulating too much to squeeze it out easily.
#4: Refrain from drinking or swishing or as much mouth movement as you can do without while you are doing this process
#5: Repeat every few hours, or whenever you have a chance for 3 days. You will see you have a clot just as good as the original AND YOUR MOUTH DOESNT HURT ANY MORE.
I'm sure medical professionals will advise against this, as it brings no profit to them or the pharms, but when you've had as many teeth go bad as I have, you figure out what works, or you spend your life in misery at the mercy of medical "professionals" who have NO MERCY FOR TOOTH PAIN!!!  WHAT IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE WHY THEY WILL GIVE PAINKILLERS FOR A SPRAINED ANKLE, BUT WE SIT HERE GOING FLIPPING CRAZY WITH THIS PAIN IN OUR HEADS STOPPING US FROM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY??? DO WE NEED TO BANG OUR HEAD INTO THE DOORKNOB JUST TO GET SOME PAIN RELIEF??  WHY ARE DENTAL PEOPLE SUCH PRICKS ABOUT IT???

[dierdre447]

'Fill it with your own blood'?   Do please explain how you do this.

[Gellia]

Hi,
The only way to fill a syringe with blood is to insert a needle into your vein and draw it out.  It must be the proper sized needle or the red blood cells would hemolyze.  PLEASE do not do this.  Taking your blood in an unsanitary manner can give you sepsis.  Putting blood in your mouth, even your own,  can create the perfect environment for really nasty bacteria to grow with a DIRECT entry to your jaw bone.  Why would you do that??

Please think twice before doing this.  If you do not know the medical rational behind something, and its sequel, don't do it.  It has nothing to do with finances.

My very best to you, because you will need it if you do this.
Gellia