Cleaning out sockets
 

I had my wisdom teeth out last Monday and had to go in this Monday and have an incision and drainage on the bottom right side due to infection. I was also given an irrigator to clean out the holes but when I use it nothing comes out. Am I doing it right, or am I just not getting any food stuck in there? :D

Hi LadyPurrfect,

Please be careful using the irrigation syringe. It is meant to be used gently and carefully.... never forcefully or hard as that could slow down the healing process. Most of the time, a lot of food debris does not get caught in the surgical sites and the little that does get in there can be rinsed out with warm salt water.

If the surgical sites are healing and you are feeling better than you were, salt water rinses are probably adequate for keeping them clean.

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna! I figured as much, and I probably won't use it anymore. I do have another question though...

I still have a small painful lump in my cheek from my wisdom teeth extraction on the 14th. I had to get my right side drained from infection (as you saw in my other post) and that side seems to be doing fine with very little to no pain, but my other side (that was left alone) still has a little bit of pain when pressing on the lump, and even kind of a dull achy feeling when left alone. Could it be that I also have an infection on that side? The lump is about quarter sized, it has gone down quite a bit (used to be about golf ball size) but still having some pain is kind of worrying me. Or is this normal healing?

I do have a check up on May 29th.

Well actually it appears that I have answered my own question. I pressed down on the gum where the tooth was taken out and out came that yellow smelly liquid again. Sigh!!

LadyPurrfect,

Ok, that is not a good sign. But maybe the infection is smaller or less severe than it was before. Best to get in to see the oral surgeon as soon as possible. He may want to change your antibiotic.

Keep us posted...

Bryanna

Okay went back to oral surgery today. He said the I&D he did on Monday is healing very well. He pulled it back and said that the drainage that is coming out is normal drainage. As for the other side that was bothering me he said that it was normal drainage as well. He actually cleaned it out with the syringe (and wow am I embarrassed because what I thought were the holes that I was cleaning.... weren't even holes.. I was so far off from where I thought I was supposed to be irrigating) and it feels much better now after he got the gunk out.