What You Need to Know About Dry Sockets

Venture Creative on April 18, 2022

What You Need to Know About Dry Sockets

Dry sockets are often regarded as one of the most painful dental procedures that occur after a tooth extraction. Many patients report a sharp pain after their tooth is extracted, which might be a symptom of dry socket. After tooth extraction, a blood clot usually forms near the surface of the wound. However, in some instances, it doesn’t form or is dislodged, exposing the nerves. This is known as dry socket.

Although it is painful, you can resolve it with the help of proper treatment and care.

Risk Factors of Dry Sockets

It is not necessary that all patients develop dry socket after tooth extraction. And even dentists are unsure what causes it. But there are a few underlying risk factors that you need to take into account. They include:

Smoking
Drinking Alcohol
Chewing Tobacco
Poor Oral Hygiene
Infections and swollen gums

These factors put you at a higher risk of dry socket than others who have undergone tooth extraction. Therefore, a patient needs to take adequate precautions and follow the doctor’s instructions carefully after a tooth extraction.

Symptoms of Tooth Extraction

There are numerous symptoms of dry socket. Some are painful, while others are less severe. Nonetheless, you should be on the lookout for these. Common symptoms include:

Severe pain originating from the place of extraction
Visible bone appearing from where tooth was extracted
Foul smell and bad taste in mouth
Pain radiating to back of the beck and eye socket

It may take several days for the pain to develop and grow in severity. Although it is common to experience discomfort and pain after a tooth extraction, it should not prolong for extensive periods. Anyone who experiences the issue should contact their dentist as soon as possible.

Dry Socket Treatment Options

A dry socket is painful and thus, doctors focus on reducing the pain with the help of different treatment options. Below are a few options for you:

Inside Clinic

Dentist might schedule a follow-up with the patient to manage symptoms. They might:

Flush and clean the socket to remove any debris or harmful bacteria
Apply medications on the socket to prevent infections and other hazards
Prescribe pain killer drugs to cope up with the pain

Home Treatment

After a dry socket is identified, a patient should look after their health at home. It involves routinely taking prescription medication and flushing the socket with a saline solution.

Make sure to take adequate prevention methods and follow the doctor’s advice for meals and other eating habits.

Final Thoughts

For effective and compact treatment of dry sockets, you should approach the right professional. Before going ahead with the treatment, make sure the dentist possesses adequate certification, skills and experience to treat dry sockets.

For best treatment, you may contact Oral & Facial Surgery Institute (OFSI). Contact us to consult an appointment right now! Phone: (435) 220-2095, Fax: (435) 673-0330

What Is Endodontic Surgery?

Venture Creative on April 6, 2022

What Is Endodontic Surgery?

Teeth usually last people their entire life and play an important role in speaking, eating, etc. Therefore, you should do whatever you can to save a tooth at risk of being lost.

Often, getting a root canal is the best and safest option out there to save your teeth. However, it is not always a success. Many people undergo endodontic surgery to save their teeth. Taking an endodontic appointment will likely be the most beneficial decision you take for your tooth. Make one soon to find out whether an endodontic surgery is an answer to your problems.

What is Endodontic Surgery?

There are two ways to go about saving your teeth that are you could lose: non-surgical endodontic treatment and surgical endodontic treatment. A root canal is a non-surgical orthodontic treatment procedure that is the first step to treating a damaged tooth.

Your dentist may perform a root canal when the pulp or internal tissues of a tooth are affected by inflammation or infection. Often, this results from tooth decay, trauma, or repeated treatments.

Often, a root canal is not enough to save the tooth. In such cases, your dentist or endodontist may recommend endodontic surgery. It can effectively treat any inflammation and infection after a root canal treatment.

What does Surgical Endodontics Involve?

There are many different types of endodontic surgery, including root repair, replantation, etc. But, apicoectomy remains the most common surgical endodontics performed these days. It is an effective surgical treatment to tackle inflammation and infection that couldn’t be treated with non-surgical root canal treatment.

Apicoectomy

Among the many dental and endodontic treatments available to save teeth, a root-end resection or apicoectomy remains the most popular. Endodontists usually recommend this endodontic surgery when infection or inflammation caused by trauma or decay occurs on the bony area at the base of a tooth. You might need an apicoectomy after a root canal treatment.

It entails opening the gum near the tooth to reveal the bone beneath it. Dissecting the gum tissue allows an endodontist to eliminate any tissue experiencing inflammation of infection. Endodontic surgery also involves the removal of the tail end of the root and the damaged gum tissue.

After this, your oral surgeon may also place a filling to close the area where the root’s end was previously there. Then, they will stitch the gums to ensure complete healing. The bone heals around the tooth, finally achieving complete restoration.

Who Needs an Endodontic Surgery?

In some cases, a tooth does not properly heal after undergoing root canal treatment. Other times, it becomes an infection. An endodontic is the best option to treat inflammation and infection inside the gums.

Other times, calcium deposits can make it hard for non-surgical treatments to treat a root canal effectively. Endodontic surgery can then clean and seal the root canal. You might also need an apicoectomy if your root surfaces or surrounding bone are damaged.

In case a dentist is unable to find the cause of certain dental problems, they may recommend endodontic surgery. If your X-ray scans show no issues, but you still experience specific symptoms, your endodontist will perform endodontic surgery to check the tooth root and make a diagnosis.

Bottom Line

You are very likely to experience oral issues even if one tooth in your mouth is missing. Make sure you make an appointment to see whether you need endodontic surgery to save your tooth.

If you’re looking for the best oral surgeons and endodontists in town, don’t forget to book your appointment at Oral and Facial Surgery Institute. Being in practice for a couple of years now, Dr. Shawn B. Davis provides the most convenient surgical procedures. Call us at (435) 220-2324 to learn more.