Sometimes the bone underneath the socket is fully exposed, and other times bacteria or food particles may cover it. In the latter case, a dry socket can look like a black, green, or yellowish formation.
The mouth will develop a yellow scab over a healing extraction site. This should not be confused with an infection. Small bone fragments can work their way to the surface during the healing process. Generally, these will resolve with time.
After tooth extraction, you should develop a blood clot in the socket (hole) that's left behind. It'll look like a dark-colored scab. But if you have a dry socket, the clot will be absent and you'll be able to see bone. For this reason, dry sockets usually appear white.
If you see white or yellow pus in your socket after the extraction, call your dentist, as this is a sign of infection. You should also look for these signs of infection: Worsening bleeding, pain and swelling for two to three days following your procedure.
Excess granulation or overgranulation may also be associated with infection or non-healing wounds. These often respond to simple cautery with silver nitrate or with topically applied steroid preparations. Chronic wounds may be covered by white or yellow shiny fibrinous tissue (see next article in this series).
Granulation tissue is part of the healing process and indicates proper recovery. The tissue (which can also appear pink or red) helps to repair and protect the area. If your granulation tissue appears to have fallen out, it's a sign that you have a dry socket.
A healthy socket will be a hole with a noticeable blot clot in the center. If your socket appears white in color, chances are you are seeing exposed bone and have lost the blood clot. In cases where bacteria or infection cause the clot to dissolve, you may see a socket that is black, green, or yellow in color.
After about 3 days, the empty tooth socket will have mostly healed. There should be no more bleeding present, and swelling should be minimal at this point. You may still experience some tenderness or soreness, but you should no longer feel pain or discomfort.
By day 3, your gum swelling should subside and your open wound from extraction will begin to close. In 7 days, your gums should be very close to being completely healed with minimal sensitivity or pain. These are all signs that your gums are healing nicely and in the expected time frame.
After a tooth extraction, you should develop a blood clot in the socket (hole) that's left behind. It'll look like a dark-colored scab. But if you have a dry socket, the clot will be absent and you'll be able to see bone. For this reason, dry sockets usually appear white.
Signs and symptoms of dry socket may include: Severe pain within a few days after a tooth extraction. Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket. Visible bone in the socket.
You often cannot see a dry socket. Discoloration of a healing site is normal. A normal clot will often appear white in the mouth as it matures. The pain may keep you up at night and is often not fully treated by over the counter pain medicines.
Dry Socket Symptoms
Dry socket is often followed by throbbing and severe pain which can make any activity such as eating and drinking unbearable. It could also lead to swollen gums and pus in the area as a result of the body attempting to fight the bacterial infection.
Pus Discharge: If yellow or white pus discharges in the area of the empty socket or surrounding areas in the mouth, you may have an infection. Development of a Fever: While fever is an indicator of several different health issues, if one develops after a tooth extraction, it may be due to a developing infection.
Pus is the yellowish and whitish gooey substance common in infections that's actually composed of dead white blood cells. Bad Smell and Taste: Because of the presence of pus from your infected tooth, you'll suffer from halitosis or bad breath and a sour taste emanating from the infection site.
A dry socket looks like an empty hole with a light color at the bottom of the extraction site. The light color is from the white-ish bone showing. A normal extraction site is a socket with a dark red blood clot formation covering the bone.
A dry socket can either be partial or complete, that is, only a portion of the blood clot is destroyed or the entire blood clot is affected. The pain often will radiate to the ear and is caused by exposed bone that is not covered by a clot or new tissue.
You'll be able to feel that the tooth's socket seems empty and open. (Due to the loss of its blood clot.) You're likely to feel the sharpness of the socket's exposed bone surfaces. A picture of a dry socket.
Can you have a dry socket with no pain? For most people, the main symptom of dry socket is severe pain. However, pain tolerance and perceptions differ from person to person. Therefore, some people may experience less pain than others.
Pus is a sign of infection. It appears as a thick liquid that is yellow or white. It may also be accompanied by a bad taste in the patient's mouth, continued bleeding or swelling, worsening pain, and fever. The surgeon can prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection after confirming its presence through testing.
Dry socket is a condition professionally referred to as “alveolar osteitis”, and it is one of the possible complications that can occur after a tooth is extracted. It is actually a fairly rare condition, with only 20% of wisdom tooth removal patients experiencing this condition.
When Can I Stop Worrying About Dry Socket? Until the full recovery of your extraction site, a dry socket can form if you fail to follow the care tips. Usually, a week (7-8 days) after wisdom tooth extraction, you can stop worrying about a dry socket as gums take this much time to close fully.
A blood clot will form in the tooth socket after the extraction. The clot protects the bone during healing. If that blood clot gets loose or comes out of the socket, you may have a dry socket, which exposes the bone. A dry socket may last for several days and can cause severe pain.