Question about wisdom teeth extraction?

Question

I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled on Friday morning, and they are still bleeding a little when I rinse with salt water. Should I be worried, or is this just old blood? I am worried that I will end up with dry socket, which I am told hurts badly.
And if I do get dry socket, will I know right away or does it take a while to start hurting?

Answer 1

My mother works for an oral surgeon and I am familiar with wisdom teeth extractions. This is normal for you to still have some bleeding. If it continues by Tuesday, I would recommend that you call the surgeon.
As far as dry socket, you will know right away if you develop this. It is pretty painful. Keep rinsing with the salt water, and you should be fine. Avoid drinking things through a straw, this will make things worse.
Thanks and I hope you're feeling better soon!

Answer 2

Post-extraction problems
There are several problems that can manifest themselves after the extraction(s) have been completed. Some of these problems are unavoidable and natural, while others are under the control of the patient. The suggestions contained in the sections below are general guidelines that a patient will be expected to abide by, but the patient should follow all directions that are given by the surgeon in addition to the following guidelines. Above all, the patient must not disregard the instructions given to them; doing so is extremely dangerous and could result in any number of problems ranging in severity from being merely inconvenient (dry socket) to potentially life-threatening (serious infection of the extraction sites).

Bleeding and oozing
Bleeding and oozing is inevitable and should be expected to last up to a day. Rinsing out one's mouth during this period is counter-productive, as the bleeding stops when the blood forms clots at the extraction sites, and rinsing out the mouth will most likely dislodge the clots. The end result will be a delay in healing time and a prolonged period of bleeding. Gauze pads should be placed at the extraction sites, and then should be bitten down on with firm and even pressure. This will help to stop the bleeding, but should not be overdone as it is possible to irritate the extraction sites and prolong the bleeding. The bleeding should decrease gradually and noticeably upon changing the gauze. If the bleeding lasts for more than a day without decreasing despite having followed the surgeon's directions, the surgeon should be contacted as soon as possible. This is not supposed to happen under normal circumstances and signals that a serious problem is present.

Dry socket
A dry socket is the event where the blood clot at an extraction site is dislodged or falls out prematurely or fails to form. In some cases, this is beyond the control of the patient. However, in other cases this happens because the patient has disregarded the instructions given to them by the surgeon. Smoking, spitting or drinking with a straw in disregard to the surgeon's instructions can cause this. The extraction site will become irritated and pain will manifest at one level or another. The patient should contact their surgeon if they suspect that they have a case of dry socket; the surgeon can prescribe medication in topical form to apply to the affected site. If this is done, dry socket becomes merely an annoyance, but without the medication dry socket can progress to an infection of the extraction site.

Swelling
Swelling should not be confused with dry socket; although painful, swelling should be expected and is a sign that the healing process is progressing normally. There is no general duration for this problem; the severity and duration of the swelling vary from case to case. The instructions the surgeon gives the patient will tell the patient for how long they should expect the swelling to last, including when to expect the swelling to peak and when the swelling will start to subside. If the swelling does not begin to subside when it is supposed to, the patient should contact their surgeon immediately. While the swelling will generally not disappear completely for several days after it peaks, swelling that does not begin to subside or gets worse may be an indication of infection. Swelling that re-appears after a few weeks is an indication of infection caused by a bone or tooth fragment still in the wound and should be treated immediately

Answer 3

If your tooth is fully erupted you are correct to say that it would be easier to remove than if it was partly erupted or not through at all. But the main problem with wisdom teeth, especially lower ones, is that the shape of the roots is very variable and this can make the tooth difficult to remove. If I were you I would ask the dentist to take an xray of the tooth to see: a. Will it be easy to remove.? b. How much decay is in the tooth - can it be easily filled? Really, the only person who can advise you on your individual problem is a good dentist and it is very unwise to pay any attention at all to the experiences of others whose dental circumstances may well be very different. Sometimes in life you just have to surrender to the advice of the professional - but wouldn't you rather do that than take the advice of someone on a website like this. Good luck.

Answer 4

u get a dry socket within 3 days after an extraction. And u will know it. The pain and bleeding can take weeks to stop since u had all 4 teeth removed.

Answer 5

it is normal for them to still ooze a little. as long as its is just a Little. i wouldn't worry about a dry socket just yet. A dry socket is when the blood clot in the socket breaks down, and the bone is left exposed. Because they are still bleeding a little, it leads me to believe that the clot is still there. They do hurt pretty bad, but they are easily fixed by your dentist putting a little packing down in the socket. You'll know if you have a dry socket if all of a sudden it just starts to hurt really bad. Usually about 5 days or so after the extractions. hope this helps.

Answer 6

A little bleeding or seepage doesn't sound like a problem. If there is a lot of bright red blood in your saliva, then worry. If your rinse is still a littlew pink, then wait. If you get dry socket you will know it right away and yes it is painful. You should be fine in a couple more days.

Answer 7

the blood is normal, you had 4 teeth pulled after all. I only had one wisdom tooth taken out and I got dry socket. Trust me, you'll know if you have it. The whole side of my face pounded. If it doesn't pound yet, you should be fine.

Answer 8

1st of all i salute you for your power in taking out all of the 4 in 1 day i didnt i had at least a year between every 1 cuz i wanted to forget the pain
but as long as you did well i dont think it is normal i had them stitched so it wont bleed and unstitched it at the Dr after a week so i think you have to go back to the Dr and ask what you have to do or what he/ she has to do for you

good luck :)

Answer 9

You will know; just continue your post-op treatment and make sure that you go to your follow-up appointment. It will take quite a while for the nerve damage to heal so don't get scared at the weird feelings you may be experiencing. But if it starts hurting really badly, get thee back to your doctor. I'm assuming that they gave you something for pain...just don't overdo it.

Answer 10

it sounds like you are healing normally, continue your salt water rinses and gently swishing in those areas to remove debris that will collect there. at this point i would bet you have left the possiblity of dry sockets behind but should one develop - you would know it and make an appt to see your dentist.