Dry Socket?

[lovemypillhead]

I had a tooth removed two days ago.

I am having horrible pain there. It is a throbbing pain. I looked in there and it is white (where the tooth was).  

The pain is horrible. It is THROBBING so badly.  I have slept like maybe 5 hrs in the past 2 days because it keeps me up.  

The dentist gave me Vicodin ES.  It says to take one every like 4-6 hrs. But, that didnt work.  I then took 2 and have minimal relief.

Is this a dry socket? Is there other stuff I can take or ask to take that will help me with the pain?  I can't just "take it easy and relax" because I work. And, my job requires me to talk ALL day. Literally. Non stop.

Please help!

[Alysha75]

I to have a dry socket, ive had unbearable pain now for 2 & half weeks. I went to the dentist one week after he pulled the tooth cuz i just couldnt deal with the pain any longer. He packed it with clove oil & gause but now it has been 4 days since he has done that & im back in pain again. The gause seems to still be in there but am hurting so bad. Looks like another sleepless night for me & tomorrow i have my sons birthday party to attend to & have to try & ignore the pain. UGH! dont know what to do.

[valeriesdryestsocket]

ok i had my wisdom tooth cut out  on april 25 and i got a dry socket the following thursday. i had to wait until yesterday to be seen by my dentist. he had his assistant put clove in it. it tasted horrible and did nothing for the pain, except numb my tongue. it felt worse after she poked around in my mouth. after calling every dentist in the area, many refused to help me since they didnt do the extraction, i finally get into a dentist. he takes out whats left of the clove that wasnt packed correctly and repacks it. ouch again, i had some temporary pain relief and still cannot get sleep. im also pregnant so i have been able to take tylonal 3 only. is there anything else i can do?

[jamlws]

I hope you are feeling better and sleeping better. I had 2 really bad dentists and they messed me up BIG TIME. I have nerve damage and in severe pain ALL THE TIME from these dentists so if you don't trust your dentist and don't think he is doing a very good job go to another one so you won't end up like me have pain that keeps you from eating, talking sleeping playing with my kids. I have been on medical leave 2 times from work and my damage will never go away. The first dentist I found out later has screwed alot of people up and needs to be fired!
Sorry I went on but dentists scare the crap out of me. best of luck to you,
Jamie

[namnam46]

First let me Welcome you to the Pain Management Forum and tell you that we are so glad that you have found us!!

I want to thank you for posting with that great information on the Red Cross Toothache Kit., etc. that you gave to us.

The post that you posted on is an older post and if you want to you might re-post you information so that you will be starting a new Post.

I hope that you will continue to ba an active member and share your expertise with all of us here. We are all CP (Chronic Pain) Patients and share our experiences with each other, good or bad.  :)

Thank you again for your great information and I'm sure that everyone will appreciate it...Sherry

[BMHenry]

I had a tooth pulled last week and I have "dry socket"  The dentist has placed gauze w/ medicine on it in the socket every other day since.  It fell out today and the pain became unbearable so I went to the urgent care center. They gave me a shot of Toradol and it worked in 10 min and has lasted for 3 hours!!  I see the dentist in the morning to have it repacked but also bought some Red Cross Toothache kit.! Clove oil, tweezers and cotton balls. Buy some from either Walgreens or RiteAid.  It is the same stuff the dentist uses and would be great to have when you can't reach the dentist. Oh, ask for a Toradol shot from the ER if absolutely painful!!!

[MJIthewriter]

They said about a couple weeks. I think the worst of the pain ended around that time frame, and a degree of it lingered far longer. It takes a looong time or seems to. Then again I don't know which molar it formed for you and how big or deep the socket is.

For me they had to remove 4 impacted wisdom teeth and cut into the bone to get them. The dry socket formed in the very back of my lower right jaw. I still feel a dent where the hole was. It seemed to be a pretty deep hole.

They perscribed narcotics for after the surgery, but I found them to knock me out and make me not able to do anything besides sleep and stare for the rest of the day. After a couple days of that, I gave up the narcotic med and took 800 mg ibprophin.  I don't know how that would work for you. It seemed to numb it to a manangeable level. If you do take ibprophin, please make sure to drink plenty of water and eat food with it.

[lovemypillhead]

yeah i was up again last night at 3 am because this hurts so bad.

i actually took 2 percocet (5's)........and they helped for like well, maybe....a couple hours....long enough to help me relax.......

man, tho...those pillswear off quickly.  

im at work again today.  actually,  i took 3 advil and those seem to help too....so i guess that's good.

thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

also,  does anyone know HOW LONG a dry socket last? what the healing time is??

[worried878]

they gave me percadan for the pain and it did not touch it when i had 3 dry sockets at the same time...there is a numbing med that u can shoot with a syringe  into the holes that worked wonders...

[MJIthewriter]

It sounds like a dry socket alright. I had one form after my wisdom teeth were pulled. It IS painful... They did the clove and cotton ball thing with me too.  I agree it is horrible when they put the cotten in...

Also see if they can give you a syringe that squirts water. That's what I had to use to keep food from staying trapped in there.

Hopefully yours will heal soon. Mine has supposedly healed, but I still have chronic pain in that area.

[Tuckamore]

What a story....lol. After all that, the cotton ball fell out.  I would bail you out, that is if lived close to me in Wisconsin..lol.

All kidding aside. I hope you feel better soon.
Tuck

[lovemypillhead]

Tuck--no, not in jail! LOL.  
Altho, it almost came to that!

I went in ...and see, this dentist is always in a hurry....

So, he RUSHES in....and apparently, breeze, did put some cotton and i guess clove?? I dont know..he called it "medicine".  He shoved it in there....and i was screaming because it hurt so bad...so he says "Oh, well based on your pain..u must have a dry socket".  Im like "really?  hmm, wow...i mean, after all that's what i told the receptionist!!!"  

Anyways, that did help.  But, then i got home...and while i was showering.....the cotten came out!  LOL. It isn't funny but it kinda is because this has been a disaster.  I should have beared the pain and waited to get into my regular dentist.

O well.  

Today, it hurts horribly tho :o(   Dental pain is the worst.  I mean, there isnt much they can do now......

Thanks for the well wishes!  I am glad people care! And, would be willing to bail me out of jail...maybe!!! LOL

[Tuckamore]

Hi Lovemypillhead,

I am wondering how you are doing. I hope you didn't "punch" that dentist and now are behind bars...lol.

Ghilly and VaBreeze offer good advice. It was a molar I had pulled by a dentist, not a oral surgeon that developed a dry socket and became infected. The area of extraction was white but my gum was very red too.

Dentists can and do extract teeth as long as it s not a complicated procedure and they are comfortable doing it.

So again just wondering how you are doing. Tuck

[Ghilly]

The white could also be a covering that is formed by the body as a "living bandage" to cover the hole.  My DH had two teeth pulled last summer and he went through this same thing.  The dental assistant told him to not panic if he saw white in the hole because the body forms something white on its own after a couple of days to cover the socket, so it doesn't necessarily mean a dry socket.  

[VaBreeze]

Dentists do pull molars and typically will not stitch (wanting it to heal from the inside out).  They will stitch if cutting is required.  Most often the molar can be pulled without surgery, unless it is impacted.

A little known secret that they don't tell you...a cotton ball soaked in clove oil will take away the pain of dry socket.  Clove oil is usually found at herbal or homeopathic stores.  It taste horrible, but it works.

Good luck to you.  Hope you fee better soon.

[lovemypillhead]

So i was doing some research....and this girl i work with told me the dentist i went to has a terrible reputation...he buys boob jobs for his staff....only hires pretty girls .... which i dont care about that.....whatever.  as long as he is good, blow that money. i dont care. but she told me that he had NO business pulling a molar....an actual surgeon should have....also, i told her they did NOT stictch it up....just had me bite on gause....and she said no doubt i have a dry socket then!  no stiches!!! she couldnt believe it....!!!!!!  

she's a dental asst.  so she knows her stuff pretty good.

i just called the dentist...........im like LOOK-im taking vic es and they arent helping, advil, mortin, everything.  nothing is working.  at all. i havent slept, etc. plus, i have a horrible taste in my mouth....and that's a sign of infection and/or dry socket.

so, im going in to see him in like an hour.  

i sware to god if they tell me to take motrin im punching them in the face!

[Tuckamore]

I'll be waiting to hear what your dentist has to say. Maybe that white spot is normal but all the pain certainly isn't. Better safe than sorry.

Again Ouch!! Sorry you are hurting.
Tuck

[lovemypillhead]

i wondered about that...the white spot.......if it meant an infection....
ok, im gonna call them.

i know he'll want me to come in today and i just dont want to!  i have been living there!

[Tuckamore]

Hi Lovemypillhead,

Ouch. I have had a dry socket and they are horrible. You must call your dentist and report your symptoms. The "white" spot, along with the pain could mean you may be developing an infection. If you have an infection nothing will control the pain to any great degree until you have begin treating the infection.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Take care, Tuck