Is This Dry Socket After Tooth Extraction?

[MidWifeCrises]

Hoping for some wise words or assurances from anyone with knowledge or experience of dry socket please.

Had my wisdom tooth removed last week and didn’t really feel too much pain afterwards. Took ibuprofen when it throbbed when trying to sleep that night. Also a few times after.

Dentist put a swab thing and told me to bite down on it till the bleeding stopped, which it did within about 5 mins. I remember he said not to eat rice or peanuts that day, but could carry on life as normal from the following day.

Ive been brushing my teeth as normal, red in the beginning but some pink after a couple of days and sometimes nothing. I’ve been gargling with salt water about 5 times a day.

My issue is the taste and smell are really getting me down, anxious and paranoid when talking, so tend to turn away to avoid smell travelling in the air. Or I avoid talking in person if I can help it. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? I’ve googled and have mixed results so no wiser. Can anyone help? Do I need to go back to the dentist?

No harm in getting advice from your dentist but this doesn’t sound like dry socket which is excruciatingly painful. When I had it I would have happily sliced that side of my face off to stop the pain. Bad smell or taste weren’t on my mind at all.

Dry socket is pure pain. It doesn't sound as if it's that. But there's no harm in ringing and getting advice.

Thank you both for responding. I do have some dull throbbing even now, and I’m worried in case it’s an infection.

I’m definitely not wanting to slice my face off!! 😂 so I do take some comfort from that, at least.

You don't have dry socket, I expect the extraction site is full of rotting food. You can irrigate gently with salt water to try and remove it.

Any pain you have no is probably the result of crap in the socket

As per PP. If you had dry socket, you'd know you had dry socket.

I had a molar out recently and was paranoid about the same. The taste was quite unpleasant and I thought I had an infection but kept rinsing with salt water and assume it was whatever infection was under the tooth (and therefore the reason for the extraction). I also used a chlorhexidine mouthwash without alcohol (corsodyl or an own brand one). It took about three weeks to be fully healed and only now is it not tender (about 8 weeks now).