Did You Know This About Dry Sockets?
Imagine yourself waking up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. You feel pain in your jaw that radiates up to your temples. If you’ve just had an extraction or surgery, the cause of the pain may just be a dry socket.
What Are Dry Sockets?
After tooth removal, a dry socket, known as a painful dental condition, can occur. The body will produce a blood clot where the extracted tooth was to help heal and protect the area. In a typical healing situation, the clot will stay put in place until the mouth has healed. However, there are times when the clot can become displaced, and the result is known as a dry socket. This condition can cause pain and may delay the healing process in that area of the mouth.
What Are the Signs?
Typically, the signs of a dry socket occur during the first few days after tooth extraction. You can identify if you have a dry socket by looking inside of your mouth in the mirror. Those who can see a bone where their tooth used to be are likely suffering from this condition. You may also be experiencing a dry socket if there’s any throbbing pain that radiates into other areas of the face, including the ear or neck on the same side of the face. Please contact your dentist or oral surgeon if you believe you may have a dry socket.
How Can I Prevent One?
Dry sockets may occur for a few reasons post-surgery. This condition may occur due to something moving or dissolving the clot. There are also times after tooth extraction that a blood clot may not form to begin with, resulting in a dry socket. Here’s what you can do to prevent experiencing a dry socket:
- Don’t use straws: The suction used when drinking out of a straw can dislodge the blood clot covering the healing area.
- Don’t smoke: Those who smoke are at a higher risk for developing a dry socket than those who don’t. The rapid inhalation of smoke from a cigarette can dislodge the blood clot.
- Eat soft foods: We recommend eating only soft foods for the first day or two after surgery. If an individual eats crunchy or hard foods, they may get stuck inside the socket, causing further issues and delayed healing.
- Practice good oral hygiene: As always, keeping oral health in tip-top shape is the best practice for any individual. Maintaining good oral hygiene can prevent any bacteria from creating an infection that can break down the clot.
Schedule Your Wisdom Tooth Removal
Do you still have your wisdom teeth? Are they in need of extraction? Call Dr. Pollock today at Rockwall Oral Surgery to schedule a consultation. To contact our team or learn more about wisdom tooth removal, please reach our team at (469) 264-8921 or via email info@dentalimplantsurgery.com. We look forward to answering your questions!
