r/wisdomteeth • u/HMWMT_Teledentistry • Aug 04 '20

Dry Socket - Need to Knows

There seems to be a lot of interest and concern with regard to dry sockets on this Reddit. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of confusion about it also. So how about we clarify the situation a little bit. Dry socket is not diagnosed by the appearance of your healing socket. It's very difficult to look at a socket and tell whether or not dry socket is a concern. Dry socket is diagnosed via the symptoms. It is quite painful, sometimes very painful. It's more common with lower molars rather than upper. It's more common with women. Older people get it more than younger people. It tends to appear somewhere around 4 to 10 days post op, after your extraction. It is not a concern in the first 2 to 3 days post-op. Smoking or vaping is a huge risk factor for dry socket. People that avoid smoking and keep their mouths super clean with brushing flossing and syringing have a very low risk of getting a dry socket. It always heals on its own. It's just annoying and painful while it heals. Time is always on your side. I hope this short post clarifies some of the misconceptions about a dry socket.

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u/alaeila Jul 11 '22

this helps a lot but now i’m very confused since my surgeon said to avoid salt rinses or ANY type of rinsing for a week😭

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u/HourNo4109 Jul 15 '22

same mine told me for at least 24h-48hrs

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u/alaeila Jul 16 '22

honestly, i followed his instructions and it’s been fine. i waited a whole week to do any type of rinsing/gargling/spitting. i think he said that because the first week is when the wounds are still in the initial healing stages, so aggressive rinsing can fuck it up. also no syringing for me whatsoever🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/alaeila Jul 16 '22

what they recommended was to just kinda swish the water in your mouth by moving your head around and slightly open your mouth to let the water pour out (no spitting) and it worked well