Dry socket is a potential complication after you’ve had a tooth extraction. It’s a temporary but painful condition that usually needs to be treated by your dentist. It’s possible to prevent dry socket from occurring, however, making your recovery from the extraction quicker and easier.
At Arya Dental in Fullerton, California, Saeed Mokhayeri DDS and Hengameh Safarcherati DDS provide a wide range of dental services, including tooth extraction. Because many people aren’t aware of the dry socket complication or how to prevent it from happening, the team has put together this guide to get you in the know.
Our team tries to restore broken or damaged teeth rather than pulling them out, but extraction may be necessary for a variety of reasons. Maybe you were in an accident and lost part of the tooth. Or you have an infection that’s spread to the tooth, and you’re in extreme pain, the kind that only pulling the tooth can resolve.
It’s possible that your wisdom teeth are impacted, are damaging your other teeth, or are causing a crowding problem. Or maybe it’s just too expensive to restore a badly damaged tooth. Whatever the reason, if pulling your tooth is the best option, we aim to do it as quickly and as painlessly as possible.
After our team removes a tooth, a blood clot should form in your gums where the tooth was. The clot serves an important purpose — protecting the underlying bone, tissues, and nerves as the area heals.
If the blood clot doesn’t form, or if the clot becomes dislodged, it leaves the bone and nerves exposed, creating a great deal of pain and other symptoms. This is called dry socket, medically known as alveolar osteitis.
The symptoms of dry socket vary from one person to the next but include:
You can expect a certain amount of pain after an extraction, but severe or worsening pain, especially pain that radiates, isn’t normal. Call our team as soon as you suspect dry socket so he can clean and protect the area so it heals properly.
There are six steps you can take at home to prevent dry socket from occurring:
Our team gives you aftercare instructions when you’ve had a tooth pulled, but it’s up to you to prevent dry socket from happening once you leave the office.
If you’d like more information on dry socket, or if you’re in need of dental services, contact Arya Dental by calling or texting us, or you can schedule an appointment online today.
