Wisdom Teeth, and Dry sockets (lots of questions)

[unsure_n_sick]

Okay, so, I have a bunch of little questions, that I recently noticed I can't ask my dentist because when I came in for treatment for a dry socket he was very annoyed that I had called two times prior with questions that weren't answered on the papers he gave me.

I labeled this as infections because it's my biggest concern, not because I currently have one.

I had my wisdom teeth removed (all four) on friday the 10th. Today is the 6th day of my recovery, on the 5th day I had a dry socket filled on the lower right hand side. I'm allergic to the penicillin I was prescribed, and now instructed to not use salt rinses as it delutes the medicine in the dry socket.

So, here are a bunch of questions:

Is it normal, when a dry socket is filled, to feel hot pin-***** style pains on random parts of the body? (Shoulder, finger, corner of the eye, foot.) The first day I felt these things very randomly, so far today I have not.

What should the inside of my mouth look like? The treated dry socket looks pretty normal and I can't really tell that anything was removed in the first place. The left side I thought it looked like stitches before, but now that I look it resembles a hole.

When I got my dry socket it didn't hurt a lot more. When I told my dentist about it he became rather irratated with me and told me pain was normal. I could tell it was a different kind of pain, however. So, with my left side I am unsure if I'm still feeling normal pain or if it feels like another dry socket. The "hole" that might be there is really throwing off my judgment.

Can a dry socket heal on it's own, and how long will it take?

I can hardly feel any pain in my upper two extraction sites, but the lower two are giving me more pain. I'm guessing this is normal. Is it?

How should I care for my mouth, since my dry socket, for how long, and in detail, please.

I may post more later. I've been careful so far and wish to remain so.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Dry socket generally is very painful with constant pain in the area where its exposed and usually triggered with more pain if exposed to anything such as air, cold water, etc.  The pain you're experiencing may be referred pain but referred pain to the shoulder or fingers seems unlikely.  Pain in the face/eye/ear area would be more in line with referred pain.

Its kind of hard to describe what it should look like.  After about a week, the socket should be pink with some possible redness due to some residual inflammation.  The socket itself inside should be yellow.  If some dry socket paste was placed, the socket paste is probably black.

Usually people know if they have dry socket.  The patients I've seen for dry socket usually come in crying.  Thats usually how severe the pain is.  If you can imagine, a dry socket is when the jaw bone is exposed with nothing covering it.  Anything that touches the exposed jaw bone would cause a tremendous amount of pain.

Yes, a dry socket can heal on its own.  The time it takes to heal varies.  I'm not exactly sure how fast it can heal but as long as its gradually getting better, I would leave it alone and let it heal.

Usually extractions on the lowers are more complicated, hence they tend to hurt more afterwards.

I would follow the same directions that were given to you by your dentist in regards to care.  The most important thing is to not dislodge the socket paste or blood clot in the socket.  That'll prevent dry socket.  Then mother nature will take its course and heal the area.  We don't really do anything to speed up the healing, we just try to prevent its interruption.

[unsure_n_sick]

Okay, thank you so much for the information you gave me here. It does make me feel better to have my questions looked over and answered.

It's weird because my dry socket on the right side only hurt a little bit when it occured. I guess I'm very lucky or there was some healed section inside to protect me from that pain.

The hot pin-poke pain mentioned in my first post kinda felt like the warm tingling I got in my face when I was given the anesthesia. It happened a few times randomly. Maybe it was nothing then. :)

My right side looks as you described, but my left side, the side that that has not been treated for a dry socket looks like a black spot. Is that normal at this point? (Seventh going into the eighth day.)

Also, a new question: Sometimes while making sure there isn't any food debris in my left side I'll taste a fluid that tastes just like the medicine from the right side. Is this just because the medicine from the right is carried over to the left while eating?

I'm not as worried now, more curious than anything. I'm going to look into finding another dentist for a check up and see if I can find someone who I a more compatible with.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Thats a good idea.  It is always best to find a doctor whom you trust and feel is competent and has your best interest.  It makes for a good relationship to maintain your health.

Has the dry socket paste helped with the pain?  

Has the hot pin-poke pain occurred since?  This pin-poke pain is the one you were saying was occurring on your hand, foot, etc?

I wouldn't worry about the black spot.  It may be that the socket is deep and its just a "hole" and dark inside.  

Its possible the medicine taste is just spreading around the mouth.  

Like I said, as long as things are improving and not getting worse, I would let the normal healing process take its course.  

[unsure_n_sick]

The dry socket paste has really helped with the pain a lot in my right side. :)

The pin-pokes were just that one day, hasn't happened since.

The black hole looks smaller today, so it must be like you said and just healing. However, after breakfast I checked on it and there is food caught there. Brushing and rinsing didn't get it out. What is the best way to keep food out of it, or will it fall out at some time during the day?

Thank you so, so, so much for answering all of my silly questions. Just having a professional listening and giving me answers makes me feel very relaxed and informed. Thank you. :)

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Usually gently rinsing the area will dislodge any food in the socket.  As the socket closes up, the food will be more easily removed.  I wouldn't worry about food impaction in the socket at this point.  I'd be more concerned about any recurrence of dry socket.

Hope that helps.  

[unsure_n_sick]

Yes, that does help a lot. It being my ninth day over recovery and the fact that I still have pain on my left side makes me wonder how the healing is going over there. It's very dull pain, but so was the dry socket I got on my right. When I go back on the 21st I'll ask my dentist to check the other sites to make sure and if by then I'm still having pain, I'll mention that as well.

You've been amazing with answering all of my questions. Thank you so much.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

No problem.  Sometimes part of the healing process isn't the physical aspect of the pain but the emotional stress and anxiety.  Glad to help.

[unsure_n_sick]

Okay, I got the dressing out today and got a syringe to clean out the sockets. I feel so much better now. (My dentist was also really nice unlike the last time, maybe he had a bad day.)

I don't think I'll have any more questions, but I'll post if I do. Thanks again!

[Jayinpain]

Dear Dr, after reading all of this I'm so thankful I found this site. This is day 9 with dry socket and I have a couple of questions if you wouldn't mind :(
So after I realized that I had dry socket day 2 after extraction of my lower let side wisdom tooth, I took the clove oil approach, I got very small cotton pieces ( Almost the same size and about the same shape of my original tooth ) filled the tip with 2 or 3 drops of clove oil and put it right inside the whole. For the first 3 or 4 days I could see that the cotton piece was filled with blood clots every time I would change for a new one ( About 2 or 3 times a day cleaning the socket with salt water and peroxide ) and then gradually the blood started to change into a yellow puss looking stuff the 4th day, this is my day 9 as I mentioned before and I still have that yellow stuff coming out when I change the cotton, just to clarify it is around the cotton piece just as how the clot was in the beginning is not pouring out of the whole. My question is if that is normal, the socket area looks dry around it and if I decide to take the cotton out of the whole it takes about 1 hour for the pain to come back. Should I stop putting that cotton piece inside the whole? Is it ok to continue doing it? I mean I don't know if a clot has to form now and I'm preventing that from happening or if that is not going to happen cause the body is healing in a different way? and also If I have to stop from inserting the cotton what can I do to help my socket to heal in a more efficient and natural way?  Thank you so much!

[usapa]

How long should I continue to use the pressure pads at the extraction sites.  I had three wisdom teeth removed this morning.  I am concerned if I continue to use the pressure pads and change them out a few times a day will it inhibit the development of clots and thereby increase probably of dry socket?  Thank you.