Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi shell,

What is in the "toothache kit"?

When a person has pain, intense pain, beyond the 3rd or 4th day of a tooth extraction and it is due to a dry socket.... then having the site packed every day or two brings great relief. This would require that the previous packing be removed in order for the new packing to be placed.

Basic post operative instructions following a tooth extraction to be carried out for about the first 2+ weeks:

Avoid drinking through a straw.
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.
Avoid mouthwash.
Avoid chewy foods as it requires too much effort of the jaw and jaw muscles. Eat a soft food diet instead and do not eat on the affected side until the swelling is gone and the site is comfortable and the gum tissue is closing over.
Brush and floss all of your teeth to reduce the accumulation of plaque.
Rinse with warm salt water 3-4 times a day.

Referred pain can be due to a number of things:
Dry socket can cause a radiating pain.
Clenching or grinding your teeth... often occurs when someones mouth hurts.
Could be overuse of your jaw and jaw muscles when chewing. If you think that could be, then stick to a soft food diet.
If the gums on the adjacent teeth are sore and achey, then it could be due to an accumulation of plaque. If that's the case, they brush and floss better.

If the site is healing and there are no other contributing factors (some of which I have mentioned), then it could take a few weeks before it calms down completely. However, if the pain you have today does not get continuously less each day, then do not hesitate to go back to the surgeon for him to take a look.

Hope this info helps and you start to feel better soon.
Bryanna

Originally Posted by JG1993

Hi Bryanna,

It's been a week since I had the packing out for the dry sockets. I have been rinsing well with salt water because the gum tissue still has not closed. I have been mainly pain free except some random pains here and there that seem to subside completely within a few minutes by themselves, is this normal? I find my mouth still feels tired after a long day of talking or if I laugh a lot. I am wondering when it is ok to drink alcohol? I never drink, but of course it's Christmas and we are having a staff party - haha. Would it be ok to have some drinks at this stage in the healing? I really don't want to mess anything up and be in pain again.

Thank you so much for all your advice,

Janice