Dry socket and the healing process
 

Hi everyone.. I am new here but was very impressed by the forums and wanted to get some help and advice from people who might have dealt with this. Here is the background.. Had my molar ( the last one) on the top left extracted on August 8 2011. I had to go back later to have the dentist pack it because I lost the blood clot. The next day I had this weird hollow pain when air hit it and was examined and said it was healing. They did give me an antibiotic and wanted to see me the next day. I went back and was checked again and they said it was healing. Well the following Monday I went back cause the weird pain was still there. It only hurt when I spoke certain words and air got in it. Well it was confirmed that I had a dry socket. I was told upper dry socket pain can be different than lower pain and that is why I thought something else was going on. Well I went back on Wednesday to have it rechecked and it was healing slowly and I had to be patient. So as it will be 3 weeks on August 29th it looks as though it is starting to fill in nicely but the darn thing is so sensitive. I went to see the dentist for a checkup this past Thursday and he said it is healing really nice, I still have some ways to go but it is really on it's way. I have sjourens disorder so I also think that is why my clot did not hold cause my mouth was to dry. I am in my late 30's. I have always had teeth issues and never understood why until I was diagnosed. Now I have this other issue going on and I need to know if anyone else experienced this,. For the last week and a half when I speak my other tooth on that side is experiencing sensitivity kind of like a vibration feeling. It is not loose. To give you a visual of which one it is. The last molar extracted, the one next to it is also gone and then it is that one freestanding. I hate my teeth and I am so young for so many teeth missing but I have the rest it is just that side. Also these last 2 days it has been very tight and a little sore and a few people one being a nurse said it could be because the gums are healing up and starting to constrict together causing almost like a tint feeling. So I was wondering anyone who has had any experience with a dry socket and it's healing could please give me a little insight as to did they experience anything like this and if there are any professionals that can give me some more insight would be awesome. I am done with this..it has caused me so much mental anguish.i cry a lot from not being able at times to be myself and I have two kids and a loving husband and I just want to go back to being me.. I am scared to go to sleep at night because i am scared the dry socket will come back and I hope for it to completely go away and I am let down when it does not. Thanks everyone for any help you can give me..

Hi,

So if I understand you correctly, the dentist finally diagnosed you with a dry socket, did he treat the socket with any medicated dressing? Did you tell your dentist that this other tooth is now bothering you? IF so, what was his response?

Sometimes after a molar is removed, the adjacent teeth (in your case, you are missing two molars in that area) become very sensitive because they are being overused when chewing. One way to see if this is the problem is to avoid eating on that side for at least a week, if possible, and see if that tooth feels better. If it does, then slowly start eating on that side again but not excessively. This may be something that you have to continue to do to avoid the tooth from being overused and getting sore.

Hope this information is helpful to you... let us know how you're doing!

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,
Yes the dentist did diagnose with a dry socket and no packing was done. They said it was healing and had me come back 2 days later to check it again and at that time they were going to see if they thought I needed to see the oral surgeon and they both confirmed that I did not, it was on the right track.
So today I woke up and the tight feeling was not that tight as it was for 2 days and looks as though it closed a little more.
I did call the office today but I think they were not in due to hurricane Irene because all I was able to do was leave a message. Around 5pm I was eating a yogurt and as I swallowed i felt air go onto my socket. I then closed my mouth and slightly sucked in air and can feel it go up there but I do not feel it anywhere else. So now I am panicking that I have a sinus opening.. This is why I called them to see if I can see my we'd morning.
So my question is this:
How can I tell if there is a perforation or a communication problem? I rinse with salt water all day and never have anything go through my nose and I have no pain in sinuses as of yet? And is that normal for air to go up it being that it is not closed completely?
Bryanna,
I am not normally this anxious but this has been a really bad experience and I am scared I will not heal. It is taking so long
Thanks
Btw real name is nicole

Hi Nicole,

The air feeling could just be related to the open wound, which would be normal. If you feel that the salt water or anything else is going up into your sinuses, or you get a salty taste in your mouth or back of your throat, then that would indicate a perforated sinus. If that were to occur, don't panic. Most sinus perfs are small and heal on their own.

You should be rinsing 3-4 times a day with salt water... but no more than that and try to refrain from blowing your nose until another week just as a precaution.

I know this can be scary.. but it sounds like you're probably healing ok.

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,
Thanks your reply. No salty taste in the mouth or the back of the throat. I rinse after every meal and before bed. Usually about 4 or 5 times depending on what I eat. I was not given a syringe and told to clean it after I eat. I will see him tomorrow at 2:30 I just hope for good news and I will keep you informed.
Thanks
Nicole

Hi Bryanna,
So I went to the dentist today and told me I felt the air and he looked at it and said it looked great. He did a test for a sinus perforation. He squirt water into the socket and pinched my nose and had me blow out. I did feel bubbles and he said he did not see anything. He did it many times. I was scared to blow hard so I did blow but not hard. He said even if I never mentioned anything to him, and there was it would be so small that it will heal on it's own. He said we can do another test next week when he sees me again to check it. He did not seem concerned at all about it. He said if it was they type that needed surgery you would see other things going on and he would be able to see it. He assured me that this will all heal and I will be myself again one day soon. I was just so concerned about the sinus issue. But doubt i blew hard enough..
Nicole

To help you feel more reassured, it wasn't necessary to blow hard to evaluate the sinus. You did fine. If there is a small opening it will most likely heal on it's own.

Just continue to do what you've been doing... ok :)

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,
Well I went to see an Oral surgeon today, Board certified everything and I have seen him in the past so the trust is there. He did a panoramic and said no nerves or anything is left in the sinus. I still feel air going up and down and he did the test again and you can actually hear the air hissing out of me. I immediately started crying and getting upset and he told me to not get like that because even though it has been 5 weeks I had a dry socket on top of it and the hole (gum) is closing. He said that normally these can take a while to close up and that the pain in the nerve area 2 teeth down is referred pain and once the gums mold back to the way the they are supposed to be that should diminish ( i hope so). He gave me an antibiotic and a decongestant and said to see him in one week. He wants to treat this from the beginning and keep everything clear and dry. I still have stiffness in the gums and tightness but that means the gums are healing I hope. Everything else looks fine and he kind of implied that this would have happened regardless of who took it out because of the way the roots were, but who knows.
In your experience how long can one of these really take to close? He said give it a few weeks I guess the 10 days of antibiotics and decongestants and he said we will see how things are than. He explained the procedure to fix it and he gave me the impression that it is fairly simple. He also said it is rare for them not to close on their own because he does feel it is small.
I feel better about everything I am just so scared and concerned. I feel like now I am fighting 2 things. The healing gums and nerves of a dry socket and now a sinus communication.
Thanks
Nicole

Hi Nicole,

If it is a small perforation and there is no infection in the bone or sinus, it most likely will heal on it's own. The antibiotic is given to hopefully clear up any residual bacteria from having the dry socket. The decongestant is given to reduce the sinus inflammation so the perforation can close.

Small sinus perforations are common when an upper back tooth is removed....especially if a dry socket developed.

You can help with the healing if you... keep your mouth clean by brushing and flossing, rinse a few times a day with warm salt water only.... no mouthwash that contains alcohol/dyes/preservatives/essential oils, drink plenty of water throughout the day, and take the antibiotic and decongestant. Taking a probiotic daily would also be helpful, especially since you are on the antibiotic. Just take one probiotic a day, 2 hours before or after the antibiotic. I recommend to our patients the probiotic called Culturelle... it can be bought at most drug stores or online.

I know this is a bit scary, but it can take several weeks to heal...and that's ok, it's going to be ok :)

Bryanna

Bryanna,
I have a quick question. I did something stupid today. As you know I have the sinus communication and am recovering from the dry socket which of course has healed by now. I felt lightheaded so I checked my sugar, I do not have diabetes I have hypoglycemia and it was 66. I grabbed a Capri sun sucked through the straw and realized what I did and put it in a cup. When I sucked nothing came out my nose but I am petrified that I did something to then membrane if it was healing. I read on the Internet that sucking through a straw is a no no. My oral surgeon just said no nose blowing and sneezing and to do so with your mouth open but did not mention a straw. I have taken it upon myself for almost 6 weeks to not use one. Do you think I messed up whatever was healing if it was healing at all ? I look forward to your answer.
Thanks
Nicole