While dry sockets aren’t really as common as you might think, the condition is rather painful. Luckily for our patients, however, it’s also completely avoidable if you take care of your recent extraction correctly.
- After an extraction, an empty hole will be left in the patient’s gum and underlying bone; that’s where the recently removed tooth’s root used to be.
- Typically, a blood clot will form in the socket to protect the tissues underneath and help the area to heal. If that clot doesn’t form or gets dislodged somehow, a dry socket occurs.
- Dry sockets are painful because without the blockage of that small clot, your bone and nerve are exposed. That means that everything you eat and drink—even the air you breathe—is coming in contact with those tissues.
- Dry socket also increases the chance of infection.
Make sure you don’t use a straw, smoke, or rinse your mouth vigorously following your tooth extraction. You can also have a slightly higher risk of dry socket if you take oral contraception.
If you have a history of dry socket, be sure to let your local Livonia dentist know before the extraction and we’ll help prepare you for an easy recovery.
