So I have dry socket....tell me your experiences

[LivinLaVidaLoki]

So I had a tooth out last Tuesday morning.
While the pain wasnt horrendous it wasnt really improving much.
I called my dentist on Friday who said as long as the pain isnt worse then it's ok, it should be healing, but to see how it goes over the weekend.
This morning still the same so saw dentist who said it was dry socket. Cleaned it out which hurt like hell and then packed it.
Pain is so much better but no follow up offered just to let me know that emergency dentist is open over christmas should I need it.
Have seen before that it could need replacing a few times and others that it only needed one lot of packing.
I'm taking it as a good sign that the pain was manageable before packing and I'm still following the saltwater rinsing, eating soft stuff etc.
Please comfort me that this is not going to ruin Christmas!!!!!

Anyone?

Poor thing, dry socket is awful. I'd see if you could get an appointment for after Christmas incase it needs re packing, you know the appointment is there just incase. Obviously don't smoke, that'll just cause the issue again, no straws etc because it'll dislodge the packing. But encourage healing with mouthwash (can dilute with water if it's too strong) and don't poke with your tongue!! Good luck

Also! I kept to foods that didn't break into bits; soup and the like. So I knew I could rinse it out easily. Stuff like pasta etc breaks into bits and can get lodged in the hole (had a piece of spaghetti stuck in mine!) so just be careful

Get some clove oil whilst the shops are still open. You can put some in the packing to top it up. Also use a cotton bud to apply to area. I've had it twice and it's better than pain killers.

And yes, get an appointment made for asap.

Get some antibiotics. They are often a last resort for dentists but will make Christmas much more comfortable

He wouldn't give me an appointment just said they are open. I'm hoping that the worst is over now as we have some lovely things planned for ds (8) over Christmas and hes so excited, I really dont want this to spoil it.
Thing is it didnt even really hurt that much, it was just constant....so I'm hoping thats a good sign.
The saltwater rinse thing is confusing me though, do I have to do it every time I eat? Or just a set amount of times a day to clear it? It's all a bit vague.....and I've seen I can use mouthwash but have been told just to use salt water.

keeleysmum he said there was a mild antibiotic in the packing but I wont need a course.

I would have your food in 3 meals, and rinse each time. Don't snack if possible between because food will sit in the socket. And you shouldn't rinse too much so 3 times a day is ideal

Ahh that makes sense @breakfastatlitanies
I was initially told to rinse 3 to 4 times a day especially after food and before bed. But I brush my teeth before bed and dont eat after that and its not long since I've done it after tea.
I know I sound like an idiot but the advice I've been given from the dentist who did the extraction and my own dentist is really confusing.

Okay it's going to hurt for as long as it takes for the gum to heal over. Should be about 7-10 days

Cloves have some biotic properties in them but they can't kill all bugs. Not completely antibiotics.

You can buy clove oil on amazon too which may help to keep it numb.

You dont need antibiotics and you dont need a follow up. If your symptoms reappear they will give you another appointment but in about 95% of cases one dressing is enough. Dry socket isn't infection and so doesn't require antibiotics.

3x a day isnt ideal. You can't rinse too much really, when you are rinsing you are just bathing the socket In the saltwater for about 2 minutes at a time, no swilling just holding the water over the area. 4 x a day so after each meal and before bed, there's no harm in doing it after snacks as well if you've got time but it's not an exact science as long as it's before bed and 3 other times. Brushing your teeth isn't cleaning the socket so you also need to use the saltwater before bed as well.

Don't use normal mouthwash, you can use corsodyl but saltwater should do the job fine so I would just stick with saltwater for now. It sounds like your dry socket is being managed well, so there's no need to panic. The most important thing is just using loads of saltwater in the area to keep it clean.

What did he pack it with? My dentist used a clove based packing which wiped out the pain the infection my tastebuds and gave me thrush in my mouth

I'm not sure exactly what was in it but I think there was iodine as he asked if I was allergic to it.
And thank you @BlueCornsihPixie I'll keep up with the saltwater.
I was gutted this happened as I had been super vigilant, rinsing with saltwater, not poking or touching with my tongue eating soft food for the first 2 to 3 days, always eating on the other side of my mouth. I've even stayed away from the gym (that's a huge thing for me)

Get some otc ibuprofen with codeine just in case it all goes wrong. Good luck!

Oh and I dont smoke and hadn't used a straw.

Will do @RevIMJolly
Think I'll get some clove oil just in case too.

I had to have antibiotics myself as the gum was just too inflamed. And I did the same for my patients when the clove packing didn't work and the gum was too inflamed to heal. It's called critical colonisation.

X dentist here fwiw

I'm a dental nurse if you have dry socket and it's packed you should be fine- I've never made a pt a follow up app for this