I've been under treatment for dry socket for 1.5 weeks. I had my dressing taken out today and the dentist said the socket is still quite open. He said continue with salty mouth washes and go back if it doesn't heal. How long would this usually take? Do I still have to be careful with rinsing incase I cause damage?

Hi Serg,

One and a half weeks post op is still in the very early stages of healing and it's normal to still have a large opening at the extraction site. Also, having a dry socket interrupts the initial healing so that caused a delay at the onset. It takes a full year for the bone to completely fuse together. During that time the top portion of the site will close over with gum tissue as the lower portion fills in with bone. The concern with some extractions is that the gum tissue may take longer than usual to close over so it is best to be aware of the progress to make sure that the hole is getting smaller as the weeks go by.

Keep rinsing with the warm salt water 3 times a day, you will not hurt anything by doing that. As the days go on, you can become more aggressive with the actual rinsing. It is actually BEST to continue with the salt water as it does help keep the debris down.

I hope this info was helpful to you. I know this issue is concerning to you but it sounds like things are progressing along okay. Just monitor the size of the opening once or twice a week to make sure it is getting smaller. This can take many weeks to close over.

Take care.

Thanks Bryanna,

Yeah it does not hurt at all now, the who itself is creating a weird suction in mouth but that's a lot better than the ache/pain.

Thanks for all your help, your a star!!