Oral Surgeon vs. Dentist

Dry Socket after Wisdom Teeth Removal

Tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth or teeth from the jawbone due to many different reasons. More than often, a severe complication does follow. “Dry Sockets” are a common problem that dental surgery patients (tooth removal) often face. After tooth removal, a blood clot has to form in the empty socket. Dry sockets occur when it transfers or fails to form properly.
Consequently, the empty socket becomes susceptible to intense pain when in contact with bacteria, germs, food, and even drinks. Study shows that the rate of dry socket occurrence is somewhere around 1.8 percent. Therefore, it is not too much of a concern. Nevertheless, you should be aware of certain factors
Causes

Dental scientists and researchers are unclear as to why dry sockets occur. Nevertheless, researchers do believe that there might be some potential causes of dry sockets after tooth removal.
Researchers and scientists believe that certain foods, drinks, medicine, or anything that enters the mouth might dislodge the blood clot in the empty socket. Moreover, another probable reason why a dry socket may occur in your mouth after a tooth extraction is a trauma.

Trauma to the gum and socket area during dental surgery can contribute to a dry socket. Another cause of the trauma is when you accidentally hit your teeth with a toothbrush.
Symptoms

Symptoms of a dry socket are highly noticeable and easily detectable. Detecting them helps with quick prevention and treatment. Some of them are below in the list:

• Pain in the teeth area after tooth extraction
• Visible jawbone in the mouth
• Radiating pain (socket to ear to the eye)
• Bad breath or some unpleasant smell from the mouth
• Partial loss of tooth in the surgical area
Simply put, the dry socket due to lack of blood clot makes the jawbone visible. This makes a dry socket highly detectable. Further from this, the pain is highly equal to tooth extraction itself. The pain is describable as extremely throbbing and dull.

Treatment

Your dental surgeon may apply for some medicine and prescribe an ointment as well. Some of the things that can alleviate the pain of dry sockets and help you recover are as mentioned below.
• Medical Dressings post-dental-surgery
• Antiseptics to the wound (dry socket/ trauma)
• Antibiotics
• Mouthwashes and gels that are anti-bacterial in nature
Risk Factors and Prevention
Risk factors that can lead to dry socket include:
• Drinking without straw and having beverages (cold, caffeinated, etc.)
• Rigid food (food that has jagged edges and requires hard chewing)
• Smoking and alcohol consumption
• Not using mouthwashes post-surgery to avoid bacterium contamination to the affected area
These are some of the things and actions that you can avoid to suppress the probability of suffering from dry sockets after tooth removal.

Conclusion

Here at Oral & Facial Surgery Institute, Dr. Davis, MD, provides the best dental care to his patients. Based in southern Utah, we strive to give our dental patients the best treatments and care. Give us a call now at (435) 238-7083 or visit our contact us page if you are struggling with a dry socket. Or, you can pay us a personal visit at 1098 East Riverside Dr St. George, UT 84790.

Sources:
1. http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/sadj/v71n4/06.pdf
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/jagged-teeth#prevention
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/when-can-i-stop-worrying-about-dry-sockets#symptoms
4. https://www.medicinenet.com/dry_socket_overview/article.htm
5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318202
6. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dry-socket-symptoms-and-treatment
7. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-socket/symptoms-causes/syc-20354376#:~:text=Dry%20socket%20(alveolar%20osteitis)%20is,before%20the%20wound%20has%20healed