How to Identify and Deal with a Dry Socket?

You probably have a dry socket if you experience sharp pain after the extraction procedure. The best way to receive confirmation is to visit your oral surgery specialists. They are going to ask you about your symptoms and look at your mouth to see if your tooth socket contains a blood clot.

Identification of dry socket

You probably experience a dry socket if you can look into your open mouth in a mirror and see the bone where your tooth was before.

The explicit throbbing pain in your jaw represents another telltale signal of dry sockets. The pain may reach your ear, eye, temple or neck from the extraction site. The soft dental extraction site usually feels on the same side.

Typically, this pain develops within three days of tooth removal, but can happen every time. Other symptoms include bad breath and uncomfortable mouth taste. You should see your dentist immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

How do dry sockets occur?

After tooth extraction if a protective blood clot does not form in the vacant place, a dry socket can develop. Dry socket may also develop if the blood clots are dislodged from the gums.

But what prevents the formation of this blood clot? Bacterial contamination is thought to cause this response, whether it is by food, liquid or other things that enter the mouth. Trauma may lead to a dry socket in the area, too. This may happen during complicated tooth removal or aftercare. For instance, it can be a disruption if you accidentally punch the area with your toothbrush.

How to know if you have a dry socket?

You should expect to feel pain following tooth extraction, but your prescribed medicine should be manageable. But you may have a dry socket if your pain worsens. Everyone has different experiences with this condition, but people experience the following in general:

• A significant hole on the removal site due to the dislodged blood clot
• Pain that does not go away after a week of your tooth removal
• Bone is visible in the socket
• Bad socket odor and bad breath that doesn’t go away regardless of how much you brush your teeth
• A foul mouth taste
• Pain, which began at the extraction site but spread to the rest of your mouth

Treatment of dry socket

Sadly, you cannot treat a dry socket in your home and must visit your dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible. Please do this:

Flush your socket out: Dab your socket gently with the help of a cotton swab to remove trapped food and other scrap that may cause pain.

Medicated dressing: Your oral surgery specialists will put medicated gel or pulp on your socket to ensure quick relief. Your pain will tell you if you need change of dressing and how much longer you need to continue to receive therapy.

Prescribed medicines: Your dentist will also prescribe pain relief medicines. Avoid taking pain relievers until a specialist is consulted, because you need a specific kind of medication to help you with oral pain.

For tooth extraction, call Dr. Wooten at Oral and Facial Surgery of Oklahoma. Schedule an appointment with our oral surgery specialist and get yourself treated.

**Disclaimer: This site content is not intended to be medical advice nor establishes a doctor-patient relationship.