Dry Socket
When you prepare to get a tooth pulled, you might have got some cautionary advice from your friends about something called dry socket.
Dry Socket
When you prepare to get a tooth pulled, you might have got some cautionary advice from your friends about something called dry socket.
You might wonder, what is a dry socket?
Max Care Dental team is here to help you to overcome the fear of dry sockets.
Dry socket also known as Alveolar Osteitis, is a common complication associated with tooth extractions. A socket is an empty hole with exposed raw bone and nerves when the tooth is extracted. In a normal case, a blood clot will form over this hole which helps to repair the extraction site. If the blood clot is lost, the exposed bone in the empty socket becomes extremely sensitive to touch and becomes very painful taking a longer time to heal. The gum tissue and the alveolar bone surrounding the extraction site also becomes inflamed and reddened. This condition is termed as dry socket. Only about 2-5% of patients develop dry socket, but smokers have a 10% higher risk of symptoms.
Causes:
It usually happens after a difficult surgical extractions/a complicated wisdom tooth extractions. There can be a number of factors involved in this type of situation, many of which you don’t have any control over. The dislodgement of the blood clot after the first 24 hour of extraction will most likely end up with a dry socket.
The reasons which will remove the clot also includes:
- Smoking or drinking alcohol prevents the socket from healing.
- Aggressive spitting, rinsing or using a straw dislodges the clot.
- Intake of hot liquids/hard food delays the healing process.
- Physical exercise.
- Disturbing the socket when cleaning the extraction site.
Signs and symptom:
Usually after a few days of tooth extraction, a dry socket appears. It is characterized by moderate to severe throbbing pain which cannot be relieved with simple painkillers. This discomfort gradually radiates to the jaw, ear, eye or head region. You can also have other signs like bad breath and unpleasant taste in your mouth.
Contact our term immediately if you have any of those symptoms. We have a wonderful team to help you to get through his unpleasant condition.
Treatment:
As the first step of the treatment, our dentist will examine the patient to confirm if it is a dry socket. If so, after the confirmation and according to the degree of the infection the treatment proceeded.
Usually the dentist will irrigate the socket with anti-bacterial mouthwash for removing the food debris which triggers the blood flow back to the infected site. Then a dressing called ‘Alvogyl’ is placed in the socket which consists of an anesthetic, analgesic and a disinfectant. There might be some slight stinging at first but you will feel relief in a few hours.
You may need to come back after a few days for placing more medicine depending on how much bone is exposed. It usually takes about 7 to 10 days for new granulation tissue to form and to cover over the exposed socket bone. This doesn’t mean that the pain will last for this entire time period. Most people heal from a dry socket within one week, sometimes even 3 days.
Helpful preventive measures for Dry Socket:
- Dry socket can be prevented by simply following the dentist’s postoperative instructions as closely as you can. Act smart! To avoid such painful conditions. Here are some helpful tips.
- Always maintain great oral hygiene. This means brushing twice at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day (preferably after every meal)
- Quit smoking/alcohol for at least one-week after tooth pull.
- Avoid vigorous spitting, rinsing and using straws for a week’s time frame.
- Avoid spicy/hard foods, stick to a soft diet.
- Avoid hot drinks and hot food for a day or two, as the hot temperature interferes with the clot formation.
- Avoid poking/ touching the socket to check if it is healing.
- No vigorous activity/exercise.
Broken Tooth
Bruxism
Bruxism is characterised by the clenching/grinding of the teeth due to repetitive jaw-muscle activity
Cracked Tooth Syndrome
A broken tooth that doesn’t necessarily look broken.
Crowded Teeth
Dead Tooth
It may surprise you, but teeth do actually have living tissues.
Dental Anxiety
Dental Erosion
Dental erosion can be defined as the irreversible loss of tooth enamel caused by acids without involving bacteria.
Dry Socket
Dry socket also known as Alveolar Osteitis, is a common complication associated with tooth extractions.
Failing Old Silver Filling
Older filling also known as amalgam filling, have been used over years and are still being used today.
Gingivitis
In simpler terms, it is an inflammatory disease of the gingiva.
Gum Disease
Gum Recession
Gum recession occurs when the tissues around the teeth start to recede/pull back.
Halitosis
Halitosis is an unpleasant odour emitted from the mouth.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Third molars, commonly known as wisdom teeth, are located at the back of the mouth
Missing Teeth
Sensitive Teeth
A common dental condition that involves discomfort and pain when exposed to certain foods and temperatures.
Snoring
A partially obstructed airway during sleep causes parts of the throat or nose to vibrate as the air passes through a narrowed airway.
TMJ Dysfunction
Temporomandibular joint dysfunctions are a group of disorders affecting the masticatory system.
Tooth Brush Abrasion
Tooth brush abrasion is the most common cause of dental abrasion.
Tooth Decay
Toothache
Toothache, or dental pain, is the most frequent oral pathology
Yellow / Discoloured Teeth
Tooth discoloration/yellow tooth is an abnormal colour of the tooth, is one of the common dental conditions for any age grouped people.
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