Dry socket advice needed

[Ummlulu]

Hi, I was diagnosed with RA 2 years ago.

8 days ago I had a decayed wisdom tooth extracted and it seems the clot failed to form leaving me with dry socket, diagnosed by my dentist yesterday.

The pain is excruciating. My dentist said if it doesn’t start healing he can suture it.

I stopped Imraldi and Metoject before the extraction and have just completed 7 days of antibiotics.

Any shared experiences on managing pain and encouraging healing gratefully received.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Are you allowed to gargle with sea-salt water? Also try high dose vitamin C when I had a tooth out a few years ago that was mentioned on the after care sheet I was given. A few years ago a friend’s son broke his leg and the consultant told her to give him vitamin C to help with the healing. Developing a dry socket was something I was terrified of - fortunately it didn’t happen.

[Ummlulu in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks, yes doing salt water 4-5 times daily. Hadn’t thought about vitC sounds like a good idea.

[AgedCrone]

I had all4 Wisdom teeth removed under GA in hospital & one developed a dry socket & the surgeon packed it with some sort of antibiotics solution.

But that was ages ago& they might not not do that now.

But I do sympathise..any tooth pain is a nightmare…..hope it heals very soon,

[Neonkittie17]

Just had very similar last month on a bottom premolar on a tooth that was supposed to be being filled. X-ray showed differently. Decay gone too deep at one side. I definitely think I have had dry socket. I never saw the extraction site for the first few days as daren’t look for a few days but I feel doing salt water rinses swished the clot off. It can do it apparently.

I had excruciating pain and beating also in adjacent teeth which lasted a couple of weeks in both upper and lower jaw and then it was more localised pain but severe for another 7-10 days. Very slow. I’ve not needed to take oral painkillers for years except for post surgery (non medical). Tbh the painkillers I was taking weren’t doing enough and I couldn’t sleep for week or two properly if at all at first until it started to calm down pain wise. It felt like a hammer hitting it once the dental anaesthetic wore off. As my dentist is 16 miles away and I need to cross a major city centre I decided to wait and see how it was as there was no infection in the gum or site, and I had dissolving stitches in it as I’ve a high level of immunosuppression and was put on a week’s worth of antibiotics so all precautions taken. Also the extraction site had a tiny dissolvable antibiotic pack in it. I’ve a little shard of tooth that’s made its way up so I’ll return to check up on that as he wasn’t expecting to see me until a couple of months post extraction. That happens too sometimes re a tiny sliver of tooth.

We’re not supposed to give advice re which painkillers on here but my dentist said take those you’d normally use and if not working enough then ask your GP. I feel I needed something more effective than I took. Only worked for a short spell then back to the hammer!

I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed in hospital under GA as they were very awkward and couldn’t be done at the dentist. That was 1980 and I was 20 and no health issues/RA then. No dry socket then but they were all stitched, but I still recall the level of pain being off the scale.

I’m sure you’re doing all the right things for recovery. I used/use a TeePee Compact Tuft small toothbrush round the area. Still do as it’s not fully hardened in the middle. Also I kept up the salt water rinses very gently .. no vigorous swishing. I have only just stopped those a month after. Hope it soon feels better. As I said mine was sutured so it hardly bled after the first hour. I paused Orencia and Mtx for a week prior and resumed them after I finished antibiotics. Hope you soon feel improvement. My tooth had very long roots as did the wisdom teeth and probably why your pain is so off the scale but do give the dentist a call to talk if in doubt. Phew a long reply, apologies, but hope it helps.

[Ummlulu in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you so much Neonkittie17. It’s just really useful to hear other people’s experiences.

I left the surgery with a big wad of gauze in my mouth and when I removed it I don’t think a clot ever formed.

I had skin surgery on my nose, in the spring, for a basal cell carcinoma. The surgeon said it would be fine in 2-3 weeks but that took 2 months to heal, with regular trips to the gp practise nurse who was a gem changing dressings. I know my body just doesn’t heal very quickly

Information on the internet always seems to relate to otherwise healthy people!

Hope you continue to be pain-free.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Ummlulu]

Thank you. It does often take some of us who are a bit more immunosuppressed to heal from a dental extraction or a general op. However, we can heal really well but just a bit slower sometimes. So sorry to hear of your nose and hope all is good there now. Glad it’s been removed. 🙏🏻💗 It’s the exposed bone after an extraction that can sometimes cause an infection but I don’t think this will be you as you’re on antibiotics and rinsing with salt water several times a day. I kept the salt water rinse up for a month. I think it’s horrid pain and would be for anyone.

Yes, very true what you said re the online advice/extraction info being for non RA/RD people. I did find an American site which focused on immunosuppressed dental patients but can’t find my link now! 🙄 If I do I’ll post it for you. I feel like myself you’ll be no stranger to pain so it’s isn’t that we are soft!! Anything but. Hoping in a couple of days the pain has come down to something more bearable. It felt like someone doing a continuous heavy metal drum solo in my jaw. 😑

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Neonkittie17]

OUCH! I feel your pain, hopefully things will get back to better than normal soon. No, I think I would just hold the salt water in my mouth rather than swish too hard.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you F&N 💗 Mine has nearly healed and I know Lulu’s will soon too and yes you’ve to just let the rinse slowly into the extraction area and not swish or gargle! I did swish a little at first .. just forgot as l wasn’t thinking straight and thought I was doing mouthwash, so maybe I knocked mine off? Maybe it was under the stitches. x

[smilelines]

💔I have no words. Sending healing thoughts.