Does this look like dry socket?

[Mr. Flash]

Hello! Today I am 6 days post op, and have been having issues with 1 of the 4 extraction sites from my wisdom tooth removal. The pain has been relatively manageable with Ibuprofen and Tylenol as prescribed by my oral surgeon. However, unlike the others it’s not getting better. Ive been aware of an odd taste in my mouth and slight bad breath, and the socket appears to be dark, with some whiteness sprinkled in. I have been using orajel since yesterday to help ease the pain, and keep the area relatively clean. Ive attached an image below to help potentially identify the issue.

Given the image and information, what would my best course of action be moving forward?

 

[Dr M]

The socket does not appear too bad actually. There is some inflammation present. It might be that the this particular wisdom might have been more difficult to extract. You can arrange a follow-up with your surgeon if you want to. If this was my patient, I would prescribe a short course of antibiotics only.

 

[MattKW]

The most likely time for a dry socket to eventuate is 3-4 days post-op. Usually they are very distinctive due to the immense pain and bad breath. All we can do is apply a type of painkiller dressing , e.g. Alveogyl to give pain relief and buy you some time. Even if not dressed, dry sockets will eventually heal up on their own.
I'd say you have a mild case of dry socket and seem to be managing OK without intervention. If it doesn't improve and you are taking a fair amount of painkillers, then it's better to get a dressing - it's up to you.
Dry sockets are not an infection and are not helped by antibiotics.