Daycamp72
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/29/02
Posts: 283
Loc: Tara
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I just had my lower molar extracted, with the oral surgeon's using IV sedation, for yet another dental implant. This is my fourth...(too many Dr. Peppers). I've never had any appreciable pain after the procedure before.
Today is day four and I still have some pain if I don't take the pain meds (5mg Percocet), although the pain is not excruciating.
Is THIS a "dry socket"? If so, what does the oral surgeon DO about it?
Thanks, guys.
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moonshade
Old Hand
Reged: 12/01/02
Posts: 454
Loc: searching for my lost shaker o...
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Dry socket is when the blood clot that happens over the extracted tooth dislodges, leaving the bone beneath exposed.
Food, and bacteria get onto the bone causing it to become inflamed.
It is an extremely painful condition. Can heal naturally , but takes a long time, and the pain will go on for awhile. Usually you should go to dentist and have them place special packing into the extracted site. May take several trips, so they can replace packing material, and clean out area each time.
Very painful condition that takes a while to heal.
Pain control meds are a must.
Most people that get this, are in excruciating pain. You said your pain was not very bad, so hopefully you don't have this.
Go back to dentist and they can tell you immediately if you do or not.
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*** insert profound statement here ***
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cuddlebunny
Stranger
Reged: 03/20/03
Posts: 2
Loc: Oklahoma
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Dry socket occurs most often on the lower jaw, and when I had it,it hurt, but didn't become excruciatingly painful until my dentist started treating it. I had to go in every morning for a week so they could pack new material in the hole, I don't know what medication the material is treated in, but I have never tasted anything that awful in my life. My dentist said " this is gonna hurt really bad and I can't do anything for the pain" a novicaine shot wouldn't help. I screamed so loud, I scared some other patients, and for the rest of the week they had me come in before they opened so noone else was there. Get to your dentist right away, and a hope you don't have it.
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 461
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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Only one thing to add to this- from what I hear (I was fortunate to get out of the dental field before I smelled it, lol)- it stinks really, really bad.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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boyoboy
Stranger
Reged: 11/07/02
Posts: 11
Loc: USA
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I could be wrong but I belive it is clove or a clove mixture depending on the dentist.
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pwptds
Journeyman
Reged: 09/02/04
Posts: 88
Loc: Highway to Heaven
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I've had this before and had to fend for myself before I could see my dentist. You can go to the drugstore and ask for 'clove for dry socket' and they will tell you what to get. Put a-lot of it in your socket and it helps some until you can get some real help!
Hope it gets better 
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buey
Old Hand
Reged: 01/15/03
Posts: 453
Loc: USA
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If you are wondering if you have one, you probably don't. I had one in my life and the pain was torturous. I can't even begin to describe that level of agony and I cringe when I even think about it now, and that happened to me a decade ago.
After being up all night crying my eyes out, WITH the percocet I was given when the tooth was removed, I was able to get into the oral surgeon's office the first thing in the morning at 8:00 am. He packed it with the smelly stuff, but after he was through, it was such a relief. The pain level went from off the charts to a dull roar but was controlled well with another big old bottle of percs. I also had to go in a few more times to change the packing.
Good luck to you. If you think you may be getting one, I'd suggest getting yourself back to the surgeon's office before the clot totally dislodges, believe me.
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Sweetz
Diamond Mind
Reged: 05/11/02
Posts: 764
Loc: Texas!
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I agree with the others, you need to be seen ASAP. When my daughter had her wisdom teeth out, she had one dry socket. The dentist said it's due to bacteria and not smoking, sucking, etc. But, she had a mouthwash to use daily and she did and still got one dry socket. I've had teeth pulled and smoke and I've never had one, so I don't know how it feels first hand, but I know it hurt her a lot.
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"If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice."
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Daycamp72
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/29/02
Posts: 283
Loc: Tara
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Thanks, guys! I went back to the oral surgeon's office and they packed it with some material that smelled like cloves.
Relief!
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mrscoach
Journeyman
Reged: 07/29/02
Posts: 82
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Best if kept off the board! I got here too late. What they said - cloves, packed in, hurts when the dentist does it but then instantly is at least better.
When I had one, it would hurt when I inhaled through my mouth and the air hit the bone (yikes!).
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"I'm not tense - just terribly, terribly alert."
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voyager
Old Hand
Reged: 04/17/03
Posts: 413
Loc: United States Virgin Islands
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Trust me if you have a dry socket you will know. There are NO pain meds that can touch the pain that occurs when your cranial nerve is slightly exposed.
IT IS HORRIBLE. I was taking two percocets every 3 hours and it did not touch the pain.
As soon as the oral surgeon packed the area where the exposed nerve was, the pain did decrease.
The pain meds for that were worthless.
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want2bcalm
Member
Reged: 04/03/04
Posts: 120
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Oh dear. I feel so bad. My daughter got a dry socket with her wisdom teeth removal. She is in college & was living away from home this summer also. I feel really bad that I wasn't more concerned. She took care of it---went to the oral surgeon 2 times for the packing, repacking bit. She didn't complain that much. Poor thing. She didn't even have very many pain meds. She is not a smoker. My son had his done at the same time but didn't get the dry socket. Thank goodness. Still I feel guilty for not being more sympathetic.
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Daycamp72
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/29/02
Posts: 283
Loc: Tara
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Well, it's been a week since the extraction and it STILL hurts! I got packed with the clove stuff on Monday and I have to go back today. Do they Re Pack it?
Is this normal? grrrrrrrrrrrr.
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fred_s
Member
Reged: 11/18/03
Posts: 125
Loc: SE USA
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I had a molar extracted on a wednesday a few years ago. On that Saturday I was climbing the walls, couldn't contact the oral surgeon so I went to the ER. They packed it with clove oil and gauze, and gave me 20 percocets and sent me on my way.
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"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
-Helen Keller
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ellen1
Enthusiast
Reged: 07/03/02
Posts: 229
Loc: N. Calif.
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--I sure hope you are on antibiotics.
Any contnued dental pain could likely be caused by or intensified by an infection. All dental surgeries get infected and all need antibiotics. Both to prevent endocarditis (a heart valve infection) AND TO SPEED HEALING. Any irritation of the surgical site retards healing. Any "inflammation of the bone" could be osteomyelitis-a bone infection-one of the worst pains described and very hard to treat with antibiotics once it takes hold.
If you think your oral surgeon knows this...most don't.They are not microbiologists and there's an old saying that "surgeons don't believe in the 'germ theory of disease'".
Example: an adult relative of mine had a badly impacted and infected wisdom tooth. His oral surgeon had a great rep and did excellent work in a difficult situation, but he said no antibiotics were needed. I called his regular doc and explained the situation. He vigorously agreed with me and prescribed antibiotics. When my relative went back to the oral surgeon for his post-surgical checkup, the surgeon was very surprised that this extensive surgery had healed so quickly. He then agreed that,perhaps, there was a place for antibiotics!
--I am aware that there is great over-use of antibiotics. Dental coverage is not one of them. As anyone who contracted a life-threatenng case of endocarditis from dental surgery or other dental problems will tell you.
--If your pain continues and you feel your oral surgeon is inattentive, go to your regular doc.
Good luck.
E.
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dws1
Newbie
Reged: 04/27/04
Posts: 47
Loc: FL
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I am having extensive dental work done. I have had my and wisdom teeth removed and others that were damaged in a severe car accident so I am getting crowns and implants. I just had work done on last friday and it still is inflamed and hurts. My doc gave me 20 demerol pills and of course the are all gone. I have had spinal surgery, seizures ruslting from 3 day migrane headaches. Dental pain can sometimes be worse. I have found that always taking all my antibiotics does seem to help also my doc says to rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Dental pain can easily last over a week or more. If you are woundering about dry socket it happened to me when teeth are removed and the area is not kept most and clean this is what happens it is very painful and takes some time to recover from. Good Luck!
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want2bcalm
Member
Reged: 04/03/04
Posts: 120
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Thank you for your informative post regarding antibiotics and dental surgery. Now that I think about it I do not think the oral surgeon had either of my kids take any antibiotics. Even after my daughter got the dry socket. This is upsetting to me. Also as an aside, she has lately been terribly ill & is away at college. She went on Monday to campus health crt...said they couldn't prescribe anything?? We thought that was really weird. I insisted she go back. Whoever looked at her said they didn't even need to do a throat culture because her throat looked so bad & she has been running a temp for 4 days. They just gave her penicillin. Man this makes me mad. Strep can have serious effects on your heart and these dorks couldn't be bothered when she first went in. GRRRR. From now on I am going to be more pushy about docs prescribing antibiotics. I can understand that they don't want people taking them for viral infections but the prevention of endocarditis and scarlet fever are very, very important!!
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