text: It will take about a week for the soreness, etc to be gone and you are completely comfortable again.  But it will take up to 6 months or so for the bone to completely heal.  To avoid a dry socket (which is often times more painful than a toothache) avoid things that could potentially disrupt the blood clot formed in the socket such as smoking, drinking through a straw, sucking on hard candies, fiddling with the area with your tongue and spitting forcefully.  If you are experience a great deal of pain after about 48-72 hrs post-extraction then make sure to get back in to see the dentist who performed the procedure as it's possible you have a dry socket and it will need to be packed with a special medicated gauze.