how do you know if you have dry socket?

Post by **Panzerfaust** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:37 pm

When getting your wisdom teeth extracted, many times, some of the bone goes with it. So, you end up with a pit where the tooth and bone were. If a blood clot doesn't form or is removed after forming, it is called a Dry Socket, because if you could look inside the pit, you would see bone. The clot is important for the socket (pit) to heal, since it heals from the inside out. The sockets will be there for about six months after the extraction.

If a clot doesn't form or is removed (using a straw, etc.) it prolongs the healing process and can be painful.

As if, not having holes in your jaw isn't painful in the first place.

thenetworkgod · Post by **thenetworkgod** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:37 pm

Panzerfaust wrote:As if, not having holes in your jaw isn't painful in the first place.

I am happy I have holes in my jaw, they seat my teeth

Cymry · Post by **Cymry** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:23 pm

If I'm not mistaken, you can get dry socket any time you have a tooth extracted. If you've just had an extraction, it can still hurt for several days, I think. I had one out on my bottom right jaw with no problem, and a couple of years later I had one out on the left top, way in the back, and it gave me more pain than the other one, so it may depend on where the tooth is/was. Remember, too, that your back teeth on the top are very close to your sinus cavities, so that might have something to do with it. My husband has a wisdom tooth pushing up into his eustachian tube that goes from his ear to his throat, so it can give him problems with ear infections from time to time. If you have any weird symptoms or get concerned, call the dentist or go to the ER.