“Will a dry socket heal itself?”
I am a 23 year old male and I have a dry socket. Will a dry socket heal itself?
5 Answers
I’m not sure if it will heal itself. My patients were always interested in pain relief and proper treatment can usually provide immediate relief. I’d recommend seeing your surgeon.
A dry socket is not a serious complication unless it gets infected, which is rare. However, it can be quite painful.
In order to heal, the gum tissue needs to grow down the sides of the bony socket and seal off the exposed bone. This process takes about a week. If you can keep the socket clean with salt rinses, it will heal on its own. It is recommended to seek professional dental care to allow the area to heal without infection or further complication.
In order to heal, the gum tissue needs to grow down the sides of the bony socket and seal off the exposed bone. This process takes about a week. If you can keep the socket clean with salt rinses, it will heal on its own. It is recommended to seek professional dental care to allow the area to heal without infection or further complication.
Yes.
Yes, it will. Just may be uncomfortable longer than it needs to be.
Dr. Sassack
Dr. Sassack
Hello,
I hope you do not have dry socket. Yes, dry socket will heal itself if everything else is normal. Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) happens after a tooth is extracted. Once the tooth is removed, the socket the tooth was sitting in fills with blood and forms a clot (just like any other wound). This clot is what protects the jaw bone while the healing process begins. If that clot comes out for one reason or another (drinking through a straw, dragging on a cigarette, spitting), the jaw bone is exposed and has nothing protecting it during the healing process. This will usually get covered up in about 3 weeks and the symptoms of dry socket usually will go away in about 2 weeks (provided there is not else happening like uncontrolled diabetes which delays healing). The symptoms of dry socket can vary a lot. It can be painful at times and the only thing that can be done is put a dressing in the socket which will help the pain but tastes very gross.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
I hope you do not have dry socket. Yes, dry socket will heal itself if everything else is normal. Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) happens after a tooth is extracted. Once the tooth is removed, the socket the tooth was sitting in fills with blood and forms a clot (just like any other wound). This clot is what protects the jaw bone while the healing process begins. If that clot comes out for one reason or another (drinking through a straw, dragging on a cigarette, spitting), the jaw bone is exposed and has nothing protecting it during the healing process. This will usually get covered up in about 3 weeks and the symptoms of dry socket usually will go away in about 2 weeks (provided there is not else happening like uncontrolled diabetes which delays healing). The symptoms of dry socket can vary a lot. It can be painful at times and the only thing that can be done is put a dressing in the socket which will help the pain but tastes very gross.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
