I had my 2 bottom wisdom teeth removed 2 weeks ago at a free clinic run by university students. The students are now off for the summer so I didn't get a post op appointment with them. I was in a lot of pain afterwards and had this nasty discharge in my mouth from one side causing this terrible taste and smell. I went to a dentist Thursday and they said I had a dry socket but was healing fine. They cleaned it and packed it with medicine which helped only for that day. The day after (Friday) the discharge and taste was even worse and now coming from both sides. The pain in my jaw was so bad it felt like my jaw was pulling from everywhere and it gave me one of the worse migraines I ever had that lasted a full 24 hours. Now it's Saturday and the painkillers finally made my pain go away but the constant taste and discharge in my mouth is just unbearable! I put gauze in there but they fill with discharge and a bit of blood so quickly it barely helps. What can I do to help?? I'm desperate

I Valoue,

I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here.

It is normal to have some clear or blood stained discharge from the extraction sites for the first week or so. It is also normal to have a bad taste for several days as you have 2 open wounds in your mouth.

However it sounds to me like you may have dry sockets. The dental treatment for a dry socket is to curettage the area to gain a good blood supply flowing in there so a new clot will form. The packing that is used is a sterilized piece of gauze impregnated with a medicinal clove oil mixture. This packing should be replaced every one to two days for about 7-10 days depending on the severity of the dry socket. So you need to get back to the dentist.

It is not beneficial to put gauze over the socket as this can get stuck on the clot and pull it out making things a lot worse. It is also not beneficial to use any over the counter mouthwash as this will cause further irritation and mess with the formation of the clot. Mouthwashes are loaded with chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and alcohol... all of which have no therapeutic benefits. They are not going to stop the odor or the bad taste... they will make it worse because of further irritation.

It is best to rinse with warm salt water 3-4 times a day. Add a pinch of salt to a small bathroom size cup of warm water and rinse until the cup is empty.

Do not eat near those extraction sites and do not put anything inside of them to attempt to clean them out.

Do not smoke as this will contribute to dry sockets and can prevent the surgical site from healing.

Please see your dentist on monday to evaluate both sites. In the meantime only rinse with warm salt water, nothing else. You can add a drop of clove or peppermint oil to the water. But just one drop!

You can also apply moist heat to your face which can help the blood to flow a bit better. Make sure it is not hot... just comfortable warm.

Please check back and let us know how you are doing.

Thanks so much for your advices Bryanna,
I went to the dentist and I do have dry sockets, they cleaned it out and put the medicine in 3 times so far but I am still getting major headaches from the pain.
I am rinsing with warm salt water and don't smoke. I am taking Naproxen and Tylenol with codeine to ease the pain but it doesn't work most times.
Is there anything else I should be doing to help it heal faster?