What Does a Dry Socket Look Like?
A dry socket looks like an empty hole at the site where a tooth was removed. The hole may have a light color at the bottom, which is due to the exposed bone. After a tooth extraction, a blood clot usually forms in the empty socket, and the absence of this clot in a dry socket exposes the underlying bone, causing intense pain and slower healing.
Symptoms of dry socket may include:
- Severe pain within a few days after removing a tooth.
- Pain that spreads from the socket to the ear, eye, temple, or neck on the same side of the face as the tooth removal.
- Bad breath or a foul odor.
In summary, a dry socket appears as an empty hole with a light color at the bottom of the extraction site, and it is often accompanied by severe pain and other symptoms such as bad breath and a foul odor.
