What Do You Know About Dry Socket

If you’ve recently had a tooth removed, you’re at risk for dry socket. Dry socket, medically known as alveolar osteitis, is when a blood clot at the site of the tooth extraction fails to develop, or it dislodges or dissolves before the wound has healed. The dislodging can leave the bone and nerve exposed to air, food, fluid, and anything else that enters the mouth. This can lead to infection and severe pain that can last for 5 or 6 days.

What Causes Dry Socket?

• Partial or complete loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site.
• Bacterial contamination of the socket.
• Delayed blood clot.
• Complex aftercare such as accidentally poking the area with your toothbrush.
• High level of surgical extraction.

Apart from these causes, several other risk factors may increase the chances of getting a dry socket. If you consume tobacco, drink alcohol, take oral contraceptives, or have gum problems like gum infection around the extraction site, then you are at a higher risk of getting a dry socket.

How to Identify Dry Socket

Here are the most obvious symptoms of a dry socket that you can identify. 

• Severe pain after two days of tooth extraction.
• Dislodged blood clot.
• Visible bone in the socket.
• Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, eye, temple, or neck on the same side of your face.
• Bad breath.
• Unpleasant taste in your mouth.

If your throbbing pain stays for 10-30 days, it can be a red flag for dry socket. Dry socket rarely results in infection or serious complications. However, potential complications may include delayed healing or infection in the socket or progression to chronic bone infection. Hence, it is suggested to take good care of the wound created after tooth extraction and even after other surgical oral treatments.

You can try home remedies for the dry socket for relief. But the best way to get rid of the discomfort and problems associated with the dry socket is to visit your dentist at the earliest. Your dentist will examine your mouth and suggest the best solution for your problem like cleaning the socket thoroughly and applying a gauze with medicated gel to promote healing.