What does a dry socket look like and can you see the bone?

Answer 1

I currently have a dry socket, but cannot see the bone. My dentist told me there are varying "degrees" of dry socket. Some people can see the bone, and so they have the worst type of dry socket. Mine has a clot, but it is slightly dislodged, so it is still quite painful. I would like to add a new comment, however. Everyone seems to be saying that as soon as the medicated gauze is in place, the pain is relieved. This has not been my experience. When the dentist first placed the gauze in, I felt some relief and that lasted about 30 minutes or so. Then, the pain slowly came back and I am taking 600 mg of ibuprofen along with prescription pain medication in order to be comfortable. Maybe whatever my gauze is medicated with isn't as strong as some. Yes, you can see the bone and it tastes like infection and the pain is unbelievable. A dry socket looks like a hole in the gum and it appears to have a yellowish, white color. It tastes bitter, and it is so sore you can't touch your face with pounds of pressure on the gum. If you have these symptoms immediately go to dentist, he will fill hole with packing of clove oil and the pain will immediately stop. I went 10 days before returning to dentist. this is VERY dangerous and pointless. When you get a tooth pulled there should be no pain after the 3rd day. if you have pain, go to dentist. Your jaw will appear to have a small ping pong ball in it as well. I've currently got a dry socket, and, yes, I can see the bone. The dry socket occurred five days post-extraction. Until then, I was pain-free, and when I looked into the hole left by the removal of a lower wisdom tooth, it was pinkish-red. I assume that what I was seeing was the protective blood clot. Then, I started experiencing INTENSE pain. Fearing a dry socket, I decided to investigate. I grabbed a small flashlight, turned out the lights, and shone the light into the hole. It was no longer pinkish-red, but the pale white. I went to the oral surgeon a couple of hours later, and he verified that what I was seeing was exposed bone. If you think you have a dry socket, I encourage you to see your dentist or oral surgeon ASAP. They will pack the site with a very small piece of gauze soaked in a clove oil mixture. The whole procedure takes less than 5 minutes, will cost you around $35 (that's a Chicago price, though - could be high), and you will feel UNBELIEVABLY better in about 10 - 20 minutes.

Answer 2

It looks like a hole where your blood clot should have formed. Usually, a bit of white can be seen (this is the exposed bone). You will know if you have dry socket due to extreme pain from your mouth up to your ear in most instances and a very bad breath as a result from the empty socket.

Answer 3

AnswerThe symptoms of dry socket typically appear a few days following the extraction (removal) of a tooth. It is an excruciating and debilitating pain, which is a result of exposed nerves and inflamed bone where the tooth used to be. Usually, a blood clot fills the socket and insulates the nerves and bone from the outside environment. If the clot is lost prematurely, a dry socket can be the result.

A dry socket needs to be diagnosed and treated by the dentist who extracted the tooth. This is a relatively routine complication, and it will be covered as part of normal follow-up care. Until you can see your dentist, you can get some temporary relief by applying a small amount of oil of cloves to a small cotton pellet and placing it on the extraction site.

Personal Experience:

When I had 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled when I was in my 20s I suffered from dry socket and the pain was out of this world. My mom phoned the dentist and he came to the office and took the stitches out, packed each socket and re closed it. I slept for 2 days! What happens sometimes is when they pull a tooth the root pulls away the thin layer covering the bone and the bone is exposed to air. Ouch!

Answer 4

Sharp, excrutiating pain that starts in the mouth and radiates up the side of the jaw to the ear. Bad breath. A hole in your mouth with some exposed nerves and bone. You'll know.
The primary symptom of a dry socket is excruciating pain within a few days of having a tooth removed.

Answer 5

You make develop bad breath and a foul taste in the mouth and there will be pain a lot of pain trust me when I say the level of pain is biblical. A dry socket will show its self to you within 2 or 5 days of having a tooth out