Dry socket and allergic reactions
 

So, I started a root canal on one of my teeth in my lower jaw but it wouldn't work and after a visit to the periodontist he said I have chronic infection and I didnt have much of an option.... so last week I went to the dentist to have it extracted... that was a pain, took about an hour but at least it came out.

After 9 days I was still on Panadeine Forte so this morning I went to the dentist again who said It was healing up nicely but I had a dry socket... so he packed it with what I suspect was Alveoar Dressing because he asked me if I was allergic to iodine dressings and I said "to my knowledge Im not"... seems I was wrong.

My tongue is full of small blisters and like... rash.... It looks like the dressing has "melted" in the socket (I assume this is the way it is supposed to work) but the pain is still absolutely horrid. I thought the pain was supposed to subside after the socket had been packed and it was for about 2-4 hours but after around 6 hours the pain was even worse then before.

I have no clue anymore, Im just so tired of this... seems like one thing just leads to another. At this stage Im taking the antibiotics as Im told and I also took some antihistamine for the allergic reaction and more Panadeine Forte for the pain. How long is pain to be expected with a packed dry socket? My dentist never said I should come back so I assume he thought I only needed the socket to be packed once. He also said I should see an improvement within 24 hours.

I just dont know what Im asking really... is this to be expected? Is it normal or should I be knocking on his door again on Monday morning?

Cheers!

Hi Rose Anna,

Having a dry socket means that the area is not healing well and needs attention. When the socket is packed, the pain subsides. It is then wise to get it repacked at least one to two more times within a few days of each other. If you have developed an adverse reaction to the packing material, then it is best to go see the surgeon tomorrow to have that packing removed and something else placed there instead.

So sorry you are going through all of this... don't hesitate to see the surgeon again for help.

Let us know how you're doing :)
Bryanna

Hello Bryanna and thank you for your answer.
The packing has fallen out or been absorbed, didn't take long... I think my body didn't really respond very well to it. The spots and blisters on my tongue has subsided and is looking better. The dental surgery is closed until Monday so I will see what happens, it seems better and is healing up. If worst comes to worse, I'm working Sunday and I'm in an ER s I'll just see someone there :)

The area seems to be healing up properly, its just the pain factor that is a problem at the moment... not even the packing helped really, the area seemed to get more irritated with it then helping, had massive amounts of saliva running as it was in there. Could be the reaction though. Guess I'll just stick to my pain killers and make sure I keep the area clean and that it looks nice and pink and healing. :)

Hi Rose Anna,

I agree, it sounds like you had a reaction to the medicament used to pack the site. Usually people react favorably to the packing so I'm not so sure what he actually put in there. It is usually a prepacked paste or gauze that is impregnated with clove oil and it reduces the pain immediately. The reason to get it repacked is because it tends to come out easily.

FYI... It is also important not to rinse with anything other than warm salt water. Definitely no mouthwash because the harsh ingredients will irritate the surgical wound and contribute to a dry socket.

Hopefully you will have improvement each day! Keep us posted :)
Bryanna



QUOTE=Rose-Anna;995661]Hello Bryanna and thank you for your answer.
The packing has fallen out or been absorbed, didn't take long... I think my body didn't really respond very well to it. The spots and blisters on my tongue has subsided and is looking better. The dental surgery is closed until Monday so I will see what happens, it seems better and is healing up. If worst comes to worse, I'm working Sunday and I'm in an ER s I'll just see someone there :)

The area seems to be healing up properly, its just the pain factor that is a problem at the moment... not even the packing helped really, the area seemed to get more irritated with it then helping, had massive amounts of saliva running as it was in there. Could be the reaction though. Guess I'll just stick to my pain killers and make sure I keep the area clean and that it looks nice and pink and healing. :)[/QUOTE]

He packed it with some gauze packing impregnated with something I think was clove oil because it tasted a bit like a mouthwash I sometimes use. It might have been that I didn't react well to the concentration of the oil or the gauze itself. I don't know as I never encountered this before, I'm just monitoring the situation at the moment and managing the pain.

I am not using any mouthwash, merely a room temperature 0.9% sterile irrigation sodium chloride solution I drip straight onto the site (without touching it) to wash it out, then lightly swirl it through my mouth.

The packing he put in came out in about 3-5 hours, I thought it would last longer then that as he said it would improve within 24 hours.

Also, thank you Bryanna for taking your time to answer all of us with our questions, you are truly a blessing :)



[/QUOTE]

A quick update...

It seems to be healing and the pain is subsiding. I changed to painkillers with anti-inflammatories instead and it has had a desired effect as well.

And... with all these problems I managed to catch the flu as well.... but I guess one thing just leads to another when your immune system is down.

But I am happy it is healing and getting better. I might even be able to start eating real food soon *lol*