Another wisdom tooth question, please read on?!
Question: Got one pulled this morning on a whim (went in to get a cavity filled, turned out to be a wisdom tooth), and the doctor didn't give me explicit directions afterward. For instance, he didn't tell me that I shouldn't use a straw! And I obviously didn't know. So when I got home, I drank a protein shake....through a straw, and now I keep hearing about dry sockets and I'm getting kind of terrified here.
My only saving grace, hopefully, is that when I used the straw, I had kept the gauze firmly packed on the sore side of my mouth (where the wisdom tooth was taken), and only drank and used the straw on the other side of my mouth. (And only a couple sips.) Is there any hope that I won't get a dry socket or did I inadvertanly doom myself today?
Answers: Got one pulled this morning on a whim (went in to get a cavity filled, turned out to be a wisdom tooth), and the doctor didn't give me explicit directions afterward. For instance, he didn't tell me that I shouldn't use a straw! And I obviously didn't know. So when I got home, I drank a protein shake....through a straw, and now I keep hearing about dry sockets and I'm getting kind of terrified here.
My only saving grace, hopefully, is that when I used the straw, I had kept the gauze firmly packed on the sore side of my mouth (where the wisdom tooth was taken), and only drank and used the straw on the other side of my mouth. (And only a couple sips.) Is there any hope that I won't get a dry socket or did I inadvertanly doom myself today?
You would know if you had dry socket. The extraction site would cause pain almost immediatly after the clot is dislodged from the socket. The reason dry socket is so painful is because there is nothing in the area to cover the exposed bone.
You're fine! Just don't drink from a straw for the next few days. Don't rinse your mouth for 24 hrs. Don't brush your teeth for the first 24 hrs. either.
What you should do:
Only eat soft foods for a few days [broth, ice cream, applesause, pudding, things like that]
take pain meds when it hurts
What you SHOULD'NT do:
drink from a straw
eat hard foods
brush your teeth
forcfully rinse your mouth
use alchol mouthwash
I had a similar surgery a few years ago, and thats what I followed. Hope it can help! Also, look online for some tips and things like that!