What does dry socket look like does anyone know?

[Aberforthsgoat]

I had a tooth out yesterday and I saw a few threads with people having the same thing (dentist said Christmas Eve is a popular day for extractions, he’d already done six by the time I was in!) and they mentioned dry socket. I wasn’t aware of this so I googled and now I’m in a bit of a flap.

I’ve been very careful, didn’t rinse for 24 hours, don’t smoke, no straws, eaten on the other side of the mouth. Only rinsed gently with saltwater today after eating and have eaten small, soft meals and things like cheese, fruit, eggs, porridge. Have forgone the tin of roses, sob.

But my gum is a little swollen and now I’ve peered at the crater (had left it well alone) it looks odd and like it’s sort of sunk and gone a bit white in places? It looks smaller than yesterday and I’m wondering if this is dry socket?! I’ve also got a bit of soreness - previously the pain was horrendous and in my ear and jaw and face as well as my teeth, and now it’s only faintly in my ear and soreness around the site that’s easily managed by painkillers. I just feel tired due to a week of no sleep due to toothache!

Am I being overly paranoid! Wondered if anyone had had it and what happened with theirs? I have to say I’m panicked because the idea of being in more pain that I was before makes me feel physically ill, I just have a low pain threshold as I wasn’t coping then!

The dentist gave me the information on how to look after the crater but didn’t mention dry socket specifically. I wish I’d never heard of it now!

Thank you! I think mine looks closer to the first picture but just not as much of it yet.

The area and jaw still aches a lot and starts getting sore and painful when the painkillers wear off but as soon as they kick in again it’s fine. It was a really horrible extraction so I’m expecting to hurt for a while!

Definitely starting to heal today, mainly all white now apart from one little bit towards the end. I’m going to stay super careful and stay on top of the painkillers and hopefully I will make it through unscathed!

It does look slightly greyish but I wonder if that’s because of the dark blood colour underneath?

Is corsidyl mouthwash safe to use gently ? As I can’t brush my teeth fully my mouth feels a bit gross

It does look slightly greyish but I wonder if that’s because of the dark blood colour underneath?

Mine went from greyish to white to yellowish on different days, because it's healing it changes quite quickly. Now is the time to get into a long book in your downtime to stop yourself thinking about it and getting anxious for a few days!

Okay good advice @FeminismIsForALLWomen I will try my hardest to get absorbed into something and not obsessing!

Yeah, I agree, don't get too worried about the colour. As long as its in there and the socket isn't hollow, don't worry about it. I'd give the mouthwash a miss until a few days in but do brush your other teeth and tongue gently. You don't want to let bacteria breed. If you want to clean the teeth around it, I used a wet cotton bud dipped in toothpaste. The toothpaste foam won't hurt it. Rinse very gently with warm salt water 3 times a day to keep bacteria down.

I've had a few extractions as my mouth is very crowded and never had dry socket so try not to worry.

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut thank you. I’ve bloody gone and got a bit of scrambled egg stuck in it and can’t get it out. It’s flattened on the surface - tiny piece don’t know how it got stuck in there I was really careful. Not sure what to do.
The dentist did say leave any food debris alone but surely this will cause infection?

It'll work its way out with the salt water rinse. Like I said, it heals from the bottom up so it won't get trapped in there. If you can see very well what you're doing, use a damp cotton bud to gently touch the scrambled egg and draw it away but don't prod or brush across the wound itself if that makes sense. If not, don't worry about it, it WILL work its way out.

I had a tooth out earlier this year and drove myself mad the next day convinced I had DS thansk to the appearance of white stuff and shrinkage. Spent hours gob gazing

The white/grey stuff is part of normal healing. I was quite careful with what I ate for about three weeks. Supermarket mash was quite the staple and on the plus side I lost a few lb through ditching my nut snacking habit.

Corsydyl mouthwash helped keep it clean but I wouldn't go poking around stuck food debris. A rinse with cool boiled salt water (no swishing) dislodged anything that did get stuck.

Good luck, OP. You won't regret it once it's all healed up!

I’m too scared to prod! Okay I’ve stopped rinsing for now as I didn’t want to rinse too much but I’ll do it again in a couple of hours and hopefully it will come out. I was just worried that because it’s flattened and looks a bit embedded in it it wouldn’t come out but hopefully it will!
I don’t think it’s worth prodding about , unless it’s going to cause any problems

Stupid question, when you rinsed did you still swish it about? I sort of held it in my mouth and tilted my head so it gently moved around but didn’t swish too vigorously but wonder if that was enough to get it out

Just on the point of bone - you may end up getting bits working their way out. I had my wisdom teeth removed 5 months ago and it was a pretty brutal extraction and I’m getting fragments of jaw working by their way out of my gums still now.

You're doing it right. You don't want to swish too vigorously at first.

Dry socket is the worst pain I have ever experienced- intense, throbbing, affecting the whole side of my face and into my eye socket. If you've got it you will know.

Thanks. The bit of food in there is freaking me out - can it cause dry socket?! I’m going to rinse again with sort water later and hope once the bit of egg dries out it will loosen but it looks pretty embedded in there. Don’t worry I definitely won’t go poking or prodding and if it’s still in there when my dentist opens on Tuesday I’ll give them a call I think.

Just leave it alone OP. Food will get stuck but it will work its own way out. Salt water mouthrinses 4-5x a day but otherwise just leave the body to do its work.

Salt water mouthrinses you just hold the water and gently bathe the socket for about 2 minutes. You dont swish.

If you get a dry scoket you will be in excrutiating pain. If you did have a dry socket and no excruciating pain it really doesnt matter as your body will still heal fine. You treat dry socket purely because its painful. If the pain is controllable then its best not to do anything as packing the socket will delay the healing

Pain is totally normal for a week or so, if you can control it with painkillers then you dont need to worry.

The majority of people who get dry socket are smokers. Unfortunately in some people it just happens, I wouldnt go around avoiding too much.

No the egg won't cause it. It only happens when you lose the clot and if the egg won't come out I can't see the clot going anywhere.

Thank you. Sorry I appreciate I sound obsessive it’s totally triggered my health anxiety which is really frustrating as I’ve had it under control despite the pandemic!

@Aberforthsgoat

Stupid question, when you rinsed did you still swish it about? I sort of held it in my mouth and tilted my head so it gently moved around but didn’t swish too vigorously but wonder if that was enough to get it out

I tipped my head until the rinse was pooled round it and then moved my head around gently to rinse it. Key is not to swish or spit vigorously especially in the very early days.

Thank you :) still in there but I’m ignoring it now as it’s such a tiny piece hopefully it will find its own way out if i keep rinsing a few times a day and being careful

Really craving a turkey and stuffing sandwich and a mince pie but those are probably not ideal foods!

Been doing really well all evening but just going to bed and DH said (very nicely and tActfully) that I have bad breath. My kith doesn’t taste clean either - doesn’t taste fowl but just not clean.
So now I’m back to worrying about whether it’s the start of dry socket again as I know that can be a symptom. There’s definitely something in the hole as it’s all creamy looking with the blood colour round the edges or it was last time I looked but I’m wondering if I’ve lost a bit of it and not noticed because I don’t know what I’m looking at

Did anyone else have bad breath after an extraction and it just be a normal part of the process?

That can mean you have food embedded in the socket, you need to see the emergency dentist tomorrow and have it flushed. It doesnt hurt, then they put a dressing on which tastes of cloves.

Normal. Its where you aren't able to brush the quadrant of your mouth properly. Just be sure you brush the back of your tongue especially on that side and do the cotton bud with toothpaste for the teeth on either side of the wound. The salt water will help with the breath too.

You don't sound obsessive. I was counting down the days until I deemed myself safe from it too. Had a wisdom out a few weeks ago. I'm now happily munching through the Xmas pringles.

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut thank you, I haven’t done under the tongue actually so I will make sure I do. It’s now a completely creamy ish colour and wet looking and a bit more shrunken than it was (as in its dipping a bit but not hollow there’s definitely some creamy ish gunk in there) aside from some blood coloured patches at one end and round the side, does that sound normal? I am unbelievably jealous of your Pringles.