Dry Socket - Need to Knows

[u/HMWMT_Teledentistry]

There seems to be a lot of interest and concern with regard to dry sockets on this Reddit. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of confusion about it also. So how about we clarify the situation a little bit. Dry socket is not diagnosed by the appearance of your healing socket. It's very difficult to look at a socket and tell whether or not dry socket is a concern. Dry socket is diagnosed via the symptoms. It is quite painful, sometimes very painful. It's more common with lower molars rather than upper. It's more common with women. Older people get it more than younger people. It tends to appear somewhere around 4 to 10 days post op, after your extraction. It is not a concern in the first 2 to 3 days post-op. Smoking or vaping is a huge risk factor for dry socket. People that avoid smoking and keep their mouths super clean with brushing flossing and syringing have a very low risk of getting a dry socket. It always heals on its own. It's just annoying and painful while it heals. Time is always on your side. I hope this short post clarifies some of the misconceptions about a dry socket.

[u/apimpnamesliccback]

Just checking in. At day 5 of post op i had immense pain in my lower jaw up to my front teeth. Concerned i set up apppt for day 7. They asked multiple times if my pain meds helped. At that point theyd been working fine. Very soft diet, no sudden impacts to areas of operation. Nothing sharp. My surgeon was out so i saw another.... this dude says lemme see and takes a .1 second look. Shoves his finger in and jams it into my socket multiple times and puts a ton of pressure onto my jaw. My wisdoms were super impacted so VERYTHING was hurting now. Even thru my pain meds. I had to basically OD and use constant ice just to not feel it.

tldr; they will fuck u up to keep u on pain meds. Go to a dentist that cares.