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Dry socket

You may be more at risk for dry socket if you:

• Have poor oral health
• Have a difficult tooth extraction
• Use birth control pills, which may interfere with healing
• Smoke or use tobacco, which slows healing
• Do not take proper care of your mouth after having a tooth pulled
• Have had dry socket in the past
• Drink from a straw after the tooth is pulled, which can dislodge the clot
• Rinse and spit a lot after the tooth is pulled, which can dislodge the clot

Symptoms of dry socket are:

• Severe pain 1 to 3 days after the tooth is pulled
• Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, eye, temple, or neck on the same side that your tooth was pulled
• An empty socket with a missing blood clot
• Bad taste in your mouth
• Bad breath or a terrible smell coming from your mouth
• Slight fever

Your dentist will treat the dry socket by:

• Cleaning out the socket to flush out food or other materials
• Filling the socket with a medicated dressing or paste
• Having you come in often to have the dressing changed

Your dentist may also decide to:

• Start you on antibiotics
• Have you rinse with salt water or special mouthwash
• Give you a prescription for pain medicine or irrigation solution

To care for the dry socket at home:

• Take pain medicine and antibiotics as directed
• Apply a cold pack to the outside of your jaw
• Carefully rinse the dry socket as directed by your dentist
• Take antibiotics as instructed
• Do not smoke, use tobacco, or drink alcohol

To prevent dry socket, follow your dentist's instructions for mouth care after you have a tooth pulled.

Contact your dentist if you think you have:

• Symptoms of dry socket
• Increased pain or pain that does not respond to pain relievers
• Worse breath or taste in your mouth (could be a sign of infection)

American Dental Association website. Dry socket. www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/dry-socket/. Published 2023. Accessed February 3, 2023.

Hupp JR. Postextraction patient management. In: Hupp JR, Ellis E, Tucker MR, eds. Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 11.

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