After the tooth is extracted, the bony extraction socket is exposed. Blood fills up the bony socket and solidifies into a clot. The clot is the healing tissue. This clot is necessary for healing. Anything you do to lift or dislodge this clot, you will develop DRY-SOCKET PAIN. Just how painful is DRY-SOCKET PAIN? How do you rate pain when your bone socket is exposed to the air? Let’s avoid developing DRY-SOCKET PAIN. Show
3. Smoking cigarettes 2. Spitting 1. Placing dry gauze over extraction site after bleeding has stopped. The blood clot will stick to the gauze and you will remove it. Just bite, we mean really bite hard on that same gauze that we dismiss you with for 30 minutes and then toss it. Swallow your saliva after that. Swallowing your saliva will create enough pressure to stop the rest of the bleeding and swallowing your saliva will ensure that the precious blood clot is intact and stable. If you have prolonged or severe pain, swelling, bleeding, or fever contact our office immediately. We will give you exact instructions on how to care for your problem. Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is a painful dental condition that sometimes happens after you have a permanent adult tooth extracted. Dry socket is when the blood clot at the site of the tooth extraction fails to develop, or it dislodges or dissolves before the wound has healed. Normally, a blood clot forms at the site of a tooth extraction. This blood clot serves as a protective layer over the underlying bone and nerve endings in the empty tooth socket. The clot also provides the foundation for the growth of new bone and for the development of soft tissue over the clot. Exposure of the underlying bone and nerves results in intense pain, not only in the socket but also along the nerves radiating to the side of your face. The socket becomes inflamed and may fill with food debris, adding to the pain. If you develop dry socket, the pain usually begins one to three days after your tooth is removed. Dry socket is the most common complication following tooth extractions, such as the removal of third molars (wisdom teeth). Over-the-counter medications alone won't be enough to treat dry socket pain. Your dentist or oral surgeon can offer treatments to relieve your pain. Products & Services
SymptomsSigns and symptoms of dry socket may include:
When to see a doctorA certain degree of pain and discomfort is normal after a tooth extraction. However, you should be able to manage normal pain with the pain reliever prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon, and the pain should lessen with time. If you develop new or worsening pain in the days after your tooth extraction, contact your dentist or oral surgeon immediately. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. |