Hi Tom,

The tooth was infected, thus the recommendation to root canal it or extract it. Irrelevant of symptoms, the tooth was sick. So it is a positive thing that you had it removed.

Based on your description I think you may be getting food packed in there when you eat. It only takes a minute or so for the discomfort or pain to set in after the food is packed in there. Over time, the packed food debris will rot and the socket becomes a perfect environment for infection.

I hate to tell you but processed starchy foods like crackers can get lodged in the socket and sit in there fermenting. Foods like nuts and seeds which don't get completely chewed can easily get stuck in the socket also.

I do not recommend that you use a Q-tip or anything else to clean out the socket because you can be pushing the debris further down into the socket. You also run the risk of contaminating the socket with bacteria from your hands. I also would not recommend that you brush the socket because the open wound, which is deep and into the jaw bone, is then being exposed to the germs and debris on the tooth brush. Not only that, the bristles of the brush are irritating to the tender unhealed tissue.

The liver clot ...... if this site is still developing clots after 2 weeks, then that could mean that the impaction of food, the q tip and the tooth-brushing of the extraction site could be disturbing the clots that keep forming. That's why they keep forming. The blood clot is not meant to be disturbed.

It is BEST to eat foods that are not going to get packed into the socket and rinse vigorously with warm salt water 3-4 times a day as a means of flushing out any debris that gets caught in the socket to avoid impaction.

If you feel that you are developing an infection in that area, then see your dentist again. Tell him about the food impaction and the q tip cleaning as he may want to look a bit further and may or may not irrigate it with saline.

Bryanna