Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi tlc,
I am in the dental field and can offer some information here.
First of all the oral surgeon must have anticipated a dry socket for him to place the packing in right after the extraction. I have not known any surgeon to do that and then suture the wound closed. So I am perplexed about that.
The packing does not prevent debris from getting in the socket and you should not be touching it with anything because even a clean q tip can become contaminated and infect the site. Also, avoid eating on that side of your mouth until the hole closes over. Are you rinsing with warm salt water? As that will keep the socket clean of food debris. No mouthwash because the chemicals are not therapeutic and irritate the wound.
Given the fact that he placed that packing so early on, I would suggest that you call the on call surgeon and ask what you should do. He may tell you to let this packing come out and see what happens. But it is best to call him and speak to him not only for his advice but also to give him a heads up that you may need to call him in a hurry if the pain comes back.
Hope this helps...
Bryanna
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Thank you so much for your reply. I did call the on-call oral surgeon and he told me if it comes out to just rinse with salt water 4-5x's a day. I have definitely NOT been eating on that side of my mouth, I have been worried about eating at all. I have been using salt water rinses after meals and prescription mouthwash at bedtime as instructed by my oral surgeon on the day of extraction. Will that be enough to keep it clean now that the packing is so loose?
Another concern I have is that I am scheduled to have the dressing removed for good on Monday morning by one of the nurses. The surgeon will still be out of town, and no one at all will be in the office on Tuesday. Do you think it is best to have all dressings out of the socket ASAP (Monday, if it doesn't fall out before then), or do you think I should request to have it packed one more time and have it out on Wednesday, when the surgeon will be back in the office? ….What I am really asking is do you think 2 weeks is long enough for the site to heal to the point that I will likely only have tolerable pain, or do you think there is a good chance I could have severe pain once the dressing is removed?
If I do get typical (severe) dry socket pain, is there a way to ease it at home until I can get in to see someone? Should I maybe go buy some clove oil? Does salt water help it at all? Would it be safe to bite on some sterile gauze to "block" the socket from the air?
I appreciate all of your help!