When are you in the clear of Dry Socket?

Question

Hello, I had two of my back teeth pulled out three days ago, and am scared of this dry socket. I have no pain as of yet, but was wondering how much longer do I have to worry about getting it? Or when does it occur, first two days couple weeks, any info would be appriated! My dentist office is not open for three days, thats why im asking here! thanks all

Answer 1

After 3 days post-op, you are in the clear. There is no need to do anything special, you are past the hurdle and undergoing normal healing from here on.

Answer 2

I just had two backs pulled a month ago and I was fine after 24 hours. Just watch what u eat for 48 hours, stay with soft foods.
I also drank hot tea, green tea this helped heal the area. Just
be careful about rinseing out your month and brushing your
teeth, u don't want to break loose the blood clots that are forming
in the place of where your teeth were. But u would diffently feel the pain already if u had dry socket. Trust me even with pills,
the pain u feel! Good Luck and I am sure u are in the clear!

Answer 3

Do not worry about dry socket, it is a very common thing. Keep the socket clean and rinse with warm salty water to minimize chances of infection, dry socket is easily treated with a 5min trip to the dentist where they will flush the socket out with some corsodyl and dress is with an anteseptic dressing such as alvogyl

Answer 4

I think you would have been having pain by now. Quite often dentists pop a little pellet of nivemycin into socket to prevent this at time of extraction . Try not to worry, you are over the worst part and I am sure your body is already carrying out the healing process. All the best.X

Answer 5

There are no absoluts, but usually if you have a scar that is healing around the first week post op you should be fine. But, still you need to be very careful. Fallow the doctor's instructions.

If you get a dry socket......you will definatly know!

Answer 6

As long as the natural clot says there, your fine. Don't dig it out or suck on anything. Dry socket is bad, but it is livable. I had six wisdom teeth pulled and got dry socket in two of them. After the first week, your pretty much in the clear. Keep hydrated and keep your mouth clean.

Answer 7

if you had dry socket you WOULD KNOW..It is terribly painful..You are in the clear once the stitches are healed together..I would say 1-2 weeks..Whatever you do dont drink from a straw....Izaak

Answer 8

A dry socket is:
Any socket in which a patient is having pain due to the loss of the blood clot thus exposing the bone to air, food, and fluids along with an offensive odor. This often occurs two or more days after an extraction and can last about 5-6 days. It is normal to have soreness and discomfort following an extraction.

However, pain should be lessening by the second day.
This condition exist when a blood clot is dislodged from the surgery site thus exposing the bone and fine nerve endings. The blood clot helps in the stopping of bleeding and lays the foundation or framework for new tissue and bone to develop over a two-month healing process. This condition is more common in the mandibular area and in back teeth due to poorer circulation in this area, with wisdom teeth being the most common site. Dry socket delays the healing process.

It usually takes gum tissue about 3-4 weeks to heal where as the bone can take up to six months to heal.

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This condition is most often found:

In individuals who smoke before their recommended time. Smoking: decreases healing, decrease blood supply to the protective blood clot, brings toxic products to the area, injuries the gum tissue and the negative pressure of sucking removes the blood clot from the surgery site.

If you do not care for your extraction site as instructed by staff.

Not following your home care instruction.

Sucking action from smoking, sneezing, coughing, spitting or sucking, within the first 24 hours.

Women taking oral contraceptives are more susceptible.

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Prevention of dry socket:

Women who use birth control pills or have their teeth removed in the first 22 days of the menstrual cycle are twice as likely to develop dry socket after an extraction. Schedule extractions during the last week of your menstrual cycle (days 23 through 28) ** when estrogen levels are low or inactive.

Avoid drinking through a straw

Avoid smoking, it contaminates the extraction site

Avoid excessive mouth rinsing, it interferes with blood clotting

Keeping food from impacting in this area. Chew on the other side of your mouth and gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water after the first 24 hours.




If you have a dry socket contact us immediately.

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Treatment could include the following:

Medication applied to the site.

Clove oil technique.

Gauze with medication.

Additional home care instructions.

Applying topical anesthetic.

Alvogyl by Septodont


Patients usually notice pain relief in about 5-10 minutes after the dressing is applied.

We have experienced fewer cases of dry socket since every patient is asked to rinse with an antimicrobial mouthwash and each patient is instructed on how to care for their extraction site through CD ROM patient education, verbal instruction and home care instruction handouts. We highly recommend patients use Breath RX in their daily oral hygiene routine to help control oral bacterial

Continue these instructions for the next 3-4 days:

Good oral health care.

Avoid food with any residuals...popcorn, peanuts and pasta

Eat soft foods...mashed potatoes, clear or cream soups that don't contain any residue, puddings.


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News Updates on Dry Socket

Oral contraceptive may increase pain after wisdom tooth extraction

That tests on 267 women showed that those on the birth control pill were more susceptible than non-users to both postoperative pain and a condition known as 'dry socket.' In this condition, normal healing of the vacant tooth socket is delayed by the failure of a blood clot to form. Infection instead causes the socket to remain empty. In the study, pain on the day after the operation was experienced by 30 percent of pill takers compared to just 11 percent of non-users. Five days after the operation the difference was 14 percent compared to 5 percent. The researchers said these results suggest that the pill may reduce the pain threshold. The differential was similar when the development of dry socket was compared. Here, 11 percent of pill users were affected compared to 4 percent of non-pill users.
SOURCE: British Dental Journal 2003;194:453-455.