Understanding and Avoiding Dry Socket

Dry socket is a painful condition that sometimes results from having a tooth extracted. It is also known as alveolar osteitis, and between two and five percent of people develop it after a tooth extraction. While it is very painful, it is also very treatable.

Alveolar osteitis results when the socket in the bone where the tooth was extracted becomes exposed to the air. After a tooth extraction, the bone socket and nerve are covered by a natural blood clot, which protects the area from contact with the air. If this blood clot becomes loose or gets dislodged, food or liquids can enter the socket and cause an infection. This infection can cause extreme pain for the patient and last up to a week.

Now that you know what alveolar osteitis is, you probably want to know how to prevent it. Here are some of the major factors that can lead to dry socket after a tooth extraction:

• Smoking
• Removal of wisdom teeth
• Excessive trauma during tooth extraction
• Taking birth control pills
• A past history of alveolar osteitis
• Excessive drinking and spitting
• Drinking through a straw
• Taking prescription medicines that prevent or reduce clotting

Now you know how to best avoid getting alveolar osteitis, but you should also understand how to recognize when you have it so you can seek treatment if you do develop this condition. The main way to know if you have dry socket besides experiencing pain is to look into your mouth and observe the socket from which the tooth was extracted. If you see a dry opening and no blood clot, you may have dry socket. Other symptoms of this condition are bad breath, and a foul odor or taste that is caused by the infection.

If you do develop this condition, you probably want to know how your dentist will treat it. The main treatments for dry socket are the administration of antibiotics to cure the infection, prescribing pain killers to ease the pain caused by the infection, and cleaning and packing of the socket.

If you are ever unsure or think you may have dry socket then you should always consult with your dentist right away. They may ask to see you again, prescribe additional medication to help with the extra pain, or give advice on how to manage the dry socket going forward. These tips can be very helpful and eliminate a lot of future pain.