What is DRY SOCKET? How can I prevent it?

Question

I got my tooth pulled today and i can't rinse with salt water until tomorrow but I want to know how to prevent dry socket.

♥THANKS♥

Answer 1

I can tell you from experience you don't want it!! When you have an extraction, a clot of blood and tissue forms in the opening which begins the healing process. If you rinse too soon, use a straw, or smoke, you can dislodge the clot which leads straight to the bone. If the clot doesn't form again, and becomes infected, it's dry socket. It was quite painful...it was a long time ago, but I cried from the pain.

Answer 2

Be Very Careful!

Dry socket is when the blood clot formed after an extraction becomes dislodged from the extraction site. This blood clot is the material that will later turn into gum tissue and bone. If this is prematurely disrupted, the bone that supports the teeth is left exposed. This becomes very painful and can get easily infected.



Dry socket is when the blood clot formed after an extraction becomes dislodged from the extraction site. This blood clot is the material that will later turn into gum tissue and bone. If this is prematurely disrupted, the bone that supports the teeth is left exposed. This becomes very painful and can get easily infected.



One of the ways to prevent a dry socket after teeth extraction is by avoiding straws. When a person drinks liquid through a straw, a vacuum is created. This vacuum puts negative pressure on the site where teeth were extracted from. The blood clot formed could be dislodged and dry socket could be the result.



Another type of suction that could cause dry socket is smoking. Smoking does two things to the extraction site of teeth. First, it creates a suction sensation similar to a straw. This is harmful to the blood clot itself. Second, the smoke that enters a person's mouth while smoking can contaminate the wound. By avoiding smoking, you will eliminate potential infection and dry socket.



Right after having teeth extractions it is necessary to avoid rinsing your mouth. When brushing your teeth allow water to flow into your mouth easily and let it fall out of your mouth easily. Try not to spit or swish too much. This can, again, cause negative pressure on the blood clot and dry socket could be the result.



If after following these simple steps after teeth extractions you still experience extreme pain, call your dentist immediately. If you have dry socket it should be covered and cared for. Infection should be avoided at all costs. Once covered, most pain from dry socket will disappear.



There are several steps one can take after teeth extractions to prevent dry socket. Sometimes, however, nature takes it’s course and dry socket happens without reason. By taking necessary precautions, the chance of dry socket will be significantly decreased after teeth extractions.





Hope this Helps! : )

Answer 3

Dry socket is when you lose the blood clot that forms after extraction. The best way to avoid this is to NOT smoke or drink alcoholic beverages. Avoid carbonated drinks. Try not to spit anything out, or suck anything. Do not drink out of a straw. Most of all do everything the way the dentist/oral surgeon told you to. Dry socket can be very painful and can cause infections!

Answer 4

The Wikipedia info provides excellent info on dry sockets, with the exception of the 5th paragraph's time-line description. The pain onset is usually 24-72 hours post-op, then medicated dressing (packing) is placed to insulate the socket. It usually needs to be re-packed every 2-3 days for 10-14 days after the extraction or until the patient can comfortably go bare!

Answer 5

Dry socket is when the blood clot that forms in your cavity when your tooth is pulled, comes out. It's very important that it stays in there because an infection can form in the empty socket and it can bleed profusely. Try not to drink anything with a straw, the suction can loosen the clot. Try not to drink anything carbonated, the carbon can react with the clot and loosen it also. And with you rinse, do it gently, so as to not suck the clot out. Hopefully this helped and take care.

Answer 6

Well a clot is supposed to form over the socket where the tooth was and if you do somehting that causes it too come out then you get dry socket and its painful...dont use straws.

Answer 7

If the clot that formed when the tooth was removed comes out, That is Dry Socket. It really doesn't refer to keeping it moist with water. So you want the stream from the syringe to bet gentle not forceful. Just so it rinses the wound. Not disturb it.

Answer 8

When a blod clot forms over the area, it pretty much acts as a bandage over the area - That blood clot should not be dislodged, that's why they ask you not to spit and sleep with an extra pillow - When you rinse tommorow, I would tell you to roll your mouth around and let the salt water just roll rite out into the sink, this insures your bloodclot will stay in place - Good luck...

Answer 9

Don't suck!

No Smoking

No Straw

No Gargling-can dislodge blood clot

No Soda---carbonation

Answer 10

Alveolar osteitis

From Wikipedia, the free encycloped



In dentistry, a dry socket is a layman's term for alveolar osteitis. The alveolus is the part of the jawbone that supports the teeth, and osteitis means simply “bone inflammation”. Alveolar osteitis (dry socket) refers to inflammation of the alveolar bone following extraction of the tooth.



Alveolar osteitis is a painful phenomenon that most commonly occurs a few days following the removal of mandibular (lower) wisdom teeth. It is commonly believed that it occurs because the blood clot within the healing tooth extraction site is disrupted. More likely, alveolar osteitis is a phenomenon of painful inflammation within the empty tooth socket because of the relatively poor blood supply to this area of the mandible (which explains why dry socket is usually not experienced in other parts of the jaws). Inflamed alveolar bone, unprotected and exposed to the oral environment after tooth extraction, can become packed with food and debris.



A dry socket typically presents as a sharp and sudden increase in pain commencing 2–5 days following the extraction of a mandibular molar, most commonly the third molar. This is often extremely unpleasant for the patient; the only symptom of dry socket is pain, which often radiates up and down the head and neck. A dry socket is not an infection, and is not directly associated with swelling because it occurs entirely within bone — it is a phenomenon of inflammation within the bony lining of an empty tooth socket. Because dry socket is not an infection, the use of antibiotics has no effect on its rate of occurrence.



True alveolar osteitis (dry socket), as opposed to simple postoperative pain, occurs in only about 5–10% of extractions (primarily of the lower molar teeth). No one knows for certain how or why dry sockets develop following dental extraction but certain factors are associated with increased risk. Smoking, which can impede healing of wounds anywhere in the body, is one such factor; this is thought to be due to the decreased amount of oxygen available in the healing tissues. It is advisable to avoid smoking following tooth extraction for at least 48 hours to reduce the risk of developing dry socket. Additional factors increasing risk of dry socket include the use of hormonal contraception by female patients, and the amount of surgically-induced trauma to the bone required at the time of the procedure (for this reason, operator experience plays a role). Women are generally at higher risk than men for developing dry socket, because estrogen slows down healing. Dentists recommend their female patients to have extractions performed during the last week of their cycle, when estrogen levels are lowest, to minimize chances of developing dry socket.[1]



The pain from alveolar osteitis (dry socket) usually lasts for 24–72 hours. There is no real treatment for dry socket — it is a self-limiting condition that will improve and disappear with time — but certain interventions can significantly decrease pain during an episode of dry socket. These interventions usually consists of a gentle rinsing of the inflamed socket followed by the direct placement within the socket of some type of sedative dressing, which soothes the inflamed bone for a period of time. The active ingredients in these sedative dressings usually include natural substances like zinc oxide, eugenol, and oil of cloves. It is sometimes necessary to have this done for 2 or 3 consecutive days. Maintaining good oral hygiene during the healing period by brushing all non-tender areas regularly and rinsing with warm salt water is often advised, beginning 24 hours after the extraction.



Patients are also advised to avoid drinking through a straw as the negative pressure created by the draw through the straw can dislodge the clot. Additionally, patients may be told not to spit out saliva (or anything else for that matter) excessively due to the negative pressure created in the mouth immediately prior to spitting. These pieces of advice may be helpful, but there is scant evidence that such activities are associated with the development of dry socket. Because true dry socket pain is so intense, additional analgesics are needed



* Dry socket information at WebMD



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_osteitis"

Answer 11

don't smoke or drink soda.