Dry sockets impact approximately 1.4% of dental extractions. This post-extraction complication is a painful condition that can cause extreme discomfort for several days following simple or surgical tooth removal. Most people associate dry sockets with wisdom teeth extractions.
The symptoms of dry socket can vary, but may include: severe pain, visible bone, bad breath, a foul taste in your mouth, and radiating pain to your ear, eye, neck or temple. The partial or complete blood clot loss at the tooth extraction site looks and feels like an empty socket.
What is Dry Socket?
A dry socket is a painful condition that can occur after a tooth is extracted. Essentially, the healing process inside of the tooth socket is delayed. It happens when the healing “clot” of tissues inside of the socket is disrupted or fails to develop, leaving a hollow socket and bone exposure behind. When there is no clot inside of the socket, bacteria and food debris can accumulate inside of the void. If that happens, the healing process is delayed, a new clot may not form properly.
In most cases, the average patient will experience an improvement in symptoms about three days after something like a surgical wisdom tooth extraction. With a dry socket, symptoms begin to become more prominent after the third day and into the week following the tooth removal.
What Causes Dry Socket?
In studies, the leading factor that contributed to the development of a dry socket was poor oral hygiene. Since specific home care instructions must be followed to promote a healthy, clean healing environment, failing to follow those suggestions can potentially allow bacteria to interfere with the surgical site. In most cases, the hygiene step that is omitted in dry socket cases is rinsing with warm saltwater.
While underlying health concerns may not cause dry sockets per se, they could potentially increase a person’s chance of developing a dry socket after an extraction. For example, the use of birth control medication, smoking, blood clotting disorders, and a difficult extraction case could all increase the risk of a possible dry socket. Existing periodontal disease or other chronic oral infections can also play a role.
How Do You Treat Dry Socket?
Treating a dry socket requires the help of your trusted dental provider. Depending on the cause and extent of your symptoms, a treatment regimen may include oral antibiotics, pain reliever, and locally placed medication down inside of your open socket. By managing the discomfort and infection — and giving yourself plenty of time to heal — the symptoms of a dry socket will typically subside with 10-14 days.
A suspected dry socket should be treated by your dentist as soon as you begin to experience symptoms of pain or infection. Avoiding professional care could lead to unnecessary discomfort and lengthier healing times, as treating a dry socket at home is not recommended.
How to Prevent Dry Socket
The best way to prevent the chances of a dry socket following extractions or wisdom tooth removal is to follow your home care instructions provided by your dentist. These steps will include how to clean your mouth as well as directions on using a warm saltwater rinse following your surgery. A modified, soft diet is also essential to prevent trauma to the clot or extraction site. Carbonated beverages, alcohol, or drinking through a straw should be avoided as they can potentially interrupt clotting.
Additional methods to prevent dry sockets can also include a special medication or prescribed ointment placed onto the surgical site as directed.
Depending on the type of dental extraction that you need, you will want to select a dentist or specialist to perform your procedure. More challenging or surgical tooth removals could potentially increase your risk of dry sockets during recovery.
Dry Socket Treatment in Ottawa
Parkdale Dental Centre values the health and comfort of our patients. If you need to have a tooth removed, we’ll guide you through the process and discuss how to best avoid the risk of a dry socket after your extraction. With the small chance that you develop symptoms, we’re here by your side to offer therapeutic care and pain relief options to speed up your recovery.
In pain? Call the Ottawa providers at Parkdale Dental Centre today to request an appointment.
FAQs
How do you prevent and treat dry socket? ›
- Take pain medications as prescribed.
- Avoid smoking or using tobacco products.
- Drink plenty of clear liquids to remain hydrated and to prevent nausea that may be associated with some pain medications.
- Rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water several times a day.
Dry socket is a condition that can happen after tooth extraction. It occurs when a blood clot either doesn't form or is dislodged after tooth removal. Without the clot, your bone and nerves are exposed, leading to dry socket pain. Treatment involves placing medicated gauze in the socket to ease your discomfort.
How do doctors treat dry socket? ›Your dentist will clean the tooth socket, removing any debris from the hole, and then fill the socket with a medicated dressing or a special paste to promote healing. You'll probably have to come back to the dentist's office every few days for a dressing change until the socket starts to heal and your pain lessens.
How do dentists diagnose dry socket? ›Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket. Visible bone in the socket. Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, eye, temple or neck on the same side of your face as the extraction. Bad breath or a foul odor coming from your mouth.
What is the number 1 cause of dry socket? ›Dry socket may be caused by a range of factors, such as an underlying infection in the mouth, trauma from the tooth extraction or problems with the jawbone. The condition occurs more often with wisdom teeth in the lower jaw than with other teeth. You are also more likely than others to develop dry socket if you: smoke.
What is the fastest way to get rid of a dry socket? ›Warm salt water
It can help eliminate bacteria and reduce or prevent further infection. The Mayo Clinic recommends dissolving ½ teaspoon of salt into 8 ounces of warm water. Swish this around in your mouth for a minute, or use it to flush out the dry socket with a syringe your surgeon gives you.
Proper oral hygiene
Keeping your mouth clean is one of the most important ways you can prevent dry socket. Oral hygiene helps prevent germs and infection from breaking down the blood clot.
Dry socket typically requires a return trip to a dentist where the wound is thoroughly cleaned and sometimes a dressing is applied. Once this initial stage is complete, your dentist may also treat dry socket with a course of antibiotics to help cure any infection.
How treatable is dry socket? ›While it can be very painful, dry socket is a highly treatable condition. You should start to feel better shortly after treatment begins, and your symptoms should be gone entirely within a few days. If you're still dealing with pain or swelling after about 5 days, call your dentist.
What antibiotic is good for dry socket? ›Prevention methods include avoiding smoking before and after surgery and a traumatic surgery, the use of antibiotics, such as, azithromycin, can be considered, chlorohexidine rinse or gel can be effective in the reduction of dry socket incidence.
What do dentist pack a dry socket with? ›
Many dentists pack a dry socket with eugenol based medications that help decrease the pain temporarily. However, the packing process itself can irritate the dry socket and may slow healing. In addition, when the temporary effects wear off, the pain will likely return.
Will wet gauze prevent dry socket? ›Gauze helps protect the wound in two ways: it prevents some of the smoke from reaching the wound and reduces pressure on the wound making the blood clot less likely to dislodge and cause a dry socket.
Is it obvious if you have dry socket? ›You often cannot see a dry socket. Discoloration of a healing site is normal. A normal clot will often appear white in the mouth as it matures. The pain may keep you up at night and is often not fully treated by over the counter pain medicines.
Do I need to go back to the dentist for dry socket? ›Dry socket must be treated by a dentist. This means you'll need to make a return trip to your dentist's office after your surgery. Your dentist will clean and medicate the site to help it heal. They'll also likely recommend over-the-counter or prescription pain medications.
Can you visually see a dry socket? ›While you might not always be able to see a dry socket, visible signs can include the presence of bone in the extraction site and any empty and dry-looking socket. In addition to these, dry socket causes a variety of symptoms, including: Severe pain within a few days after your extraction.
What is the highest risk day for dry socket? ›A dry socket occurs when the blood clot breaks down or is dislodged, exposing the bone and nerves. The first five or so days after extraction are the most critical, and it is during this time that the risk for a dry socket is the highest.
What are my chances of getting dry socket? ›Dry socket can occur anywhere from 2% to 5% of the time with the extraction of a tooth. Mandibular teeth are affected by this condition more often than maxillary teeth. Dry socket is most common in molar extractions and especially in wisdom teeth, where it can occur up to 30% of the time.
How do you prevent dry socket 100%? ›- Do Not Use A Straw For 24-48 Hours After Your Surgery. ...
- Avoid Spitting Vigorously After Rinsing For 24-48 Hours After Extraction. ...
- Don't Smoke Or Use Oral Tobacco For 48 Hours. ...
- Do Not Brush The Extraction Site Directly For 3-4 Days.
Dairy contains proteins that can encourage the growth of bacteria and increase the risk of infection. This is because dairy provides an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive, which can lead to swelling and discomfort in the gums and surrounding area.
Should I still have pain 5 days after tooth extraction? ›In most cases, the pain or discomfort should have subsided after 7 to 10 days. Even though people's pain threshold and healing are different, the pain and the discomfort should decrease each day. There should be little to no pain by the time you get to five days.
How can you tell the difference between dry socket and normal pain? ›
However, the main difference between a dry socket vs normal is that your pain level will begin to escalate as time goes on. You may experience throbbing that spreads across your jaw, all the way up to your ear.
Can salt water rinse prevent dry socket? ›In a study published in Evidence-Based Dentistry, researchers discovered that patients who didn't rinse their mouth with salt water after their surgery were more likely to develop dry sockets as opposed to those that did. Doing this will also help speed up your recovery.
What makes dry socket worse? ›Pressure on the wound: Chewing or biting down on the empty socket can dislodge the blood clot. Similarly, using straws, sucking on foods, and blowing the nose can create negative pressure inside the mouth, increasing the risk of the blood clot detaching.
What happens if you do nothing about dry socket? ›If a person receives no treatment for a dry socket, the only negative effect will be continued pain. Even though dry socket does not cause any long-term damage, it's certainly uncomfortable. Therefore, it's wise for anyone who thinks they may have dry socket to call their dentist as soon as possible.
How long is dry socket a risk? ›After a tooth extraction, you're at risk of developing dry socket. This risk is present until you're fully healed, which may take 7 to 10 days in many cases.
How can I make my tooth extraction heal faster naturally? ›- Keep the Gauze in Place. If your dentist has placed a gauze over the wound, leave it in place for two hours unless you've been told differently. ...
- Take It Easy. ...
- Don't Touch the Wound. ...
- Pain Killers. ...
- Don't Smoke or Drink. ...
- Avoid Mouthwash. ...
- Eat Carefully. ...
- Sip Drinks.
Yogurt, pudding, applesauce and Jell-O are some go-to recovery foods: no chewing involved! Stick to these post-extraction staples for the first 24 hours after your surgery before moving on to soft foods that require chewing.
How long does dry socket last without treatment? ›How long does dry socket pain last? Pain from a dry socket can last anywhere from 1-2 weeks unless your dentist treats it.
Does honey help dry socket? ›Honey will act as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic for your case of dry socket but is also linked to preventing infection. To use honey, simply pour some on a clean gauze, and apply it to the affected area. You can leave it for a few minutes or leave it for a few hours.
What do they prescribe for dry socket pain? ›See your dentist if you think you've developed a dry socket. Your dentist can prescribe appropriate medications such as pain relievers or antibiotics to help the socket heal and recommend other tips for staying comfortable. Aspirin or ibuprofen can help relieve some pain.
Does amoxicillin get rid of dry socket? ›
Evidence shows that for wisdom tooth extraction, amoxicillin administered before and/or after surgery is proven to reduce the risk of dry socket by 38%(18).
How many times should a dry socket be packed? ›The packing is usually renewed (removed, the socket gently rinsed, and the packing then replaced) every 24 to 48 hours, typically for 3 to 6 days.
How do you brush your teeth with a dry socket? ›Brush Carefully
To be on the safe side, don't brush or rinse the mouth in the first 24 hours after the tooth extraction procedure. Thereafter, brush with care and don't allow the toothbrush to get close to the extraction site. Also, don't swish water, mouthwash or any oral care fluid in your mouth.
Don't clean the teeth adjacent to the wound area for the rest of the day, but you can start cleaning them the next day. Avoid allowing the brush to hit the extraction socket for the first three days. If your wound was stitched up, consider rinsing your mouth.
Can too much gauze cause a dry socket? ›However, using gauze for too long can prevent clotting. You should watch for signs to stop using gauze, or you could develop complications such as dry socket, infection, or gum pain. Take it easy for a few days after surgery. An elevated heart rate can increase blood flow and bleeding at the extraction site.
Does dry socket pain start immediately? ›Does dry socket hurt instantly? You will not feel a higher amount of pain the first two days after the extraction. However, if healing does not progress well and if the clot falls out, then you will start to feel a dull, throbbing, and radiating pain that keeps increasing to the point of becoming simply unbearable.
What does the beginning of a dry socket look like? ›A dry socket appears as an empty hole in the place of the removed tooth. The exposed bone is visible from the socket. The opening may look dry and have a creamy white color, just like a bone. Blood clotting happens on the empty socket and helps the surgery site heal by promoting the growth of new tissues.
How do you know if your extraction is healing properly? ›The tooth extraction site after three days should be feeling better and healing nicely. Swelling should be minimal, and there should be no more bleeding. The blood clot that formed in the socket should be more secured but can still become dislodged if you are not careful.
What does dry socket feel like to the touch? ›You'll be able to feel that the tooth's socket seems empty and open. (Due to the loss of its blood clot.) You're likely to feel the sharpness of the socket's exposed bone surfaces. A picture of a dry socket.
What will a doctor do for dry socket? ›Your dentist or oral surgeon may pack the socket with medicated gel or paste and medicated dressings. These can provide relatively fast pain relief. The severity of your pain and other symptoms will determine whether you need dressing changes and how often or if you need other treatment. Pain medication.
How do you swallow to prevent dry socket? ›
Swallow as you normally do on a daily basis. Once the gauze pads are removed, eat and drink. Foods that are conducive are light and soft (i.e. pasta, eggs, soups, milk shakes, mashed potatoes, boiled chicken, turkey, flakey fish etc.) If you don't feel like eating much, drink a lot of fluids, and stay well hydrated.
When can I eat solid food after tooth extraction? ›Within the first 24 hours after tooth removal surgery, you should avoid consuming anything that involves chewing. Try to limit yourself to liquids exclusively. If they don't fill you up and you want to consume solid food, go for soft meals that don't need much chewing, like pudding or oatmeal.
Will I definitely get dry socket if the blood clot dislodges? ›This clot should stay in place until your gums have healed and your mouth is back to normal. Sometimes the clot can become dislodged. If that happens, you'll experience the painful complication known as a dry socket, or alveolar osteitis.
Can a dry socket be ignored? ›Call your dentist as an infection could cause serious health complications. If you have recently had a tooth or multiple teeth pulled and have been dealing with pain or any of the above symptoms, contact your dentist as dry socket can cause serious issues if left untreated. Call your dentist now.
How long does it take to prevent dry socket? ›After a tooth extraction, you're at risk of developing dry socket. This risk is present until you're fully healed, which may take 7 to 10 days in many cases.
At what point can you stop worrying about dry socket? ›Usually, a week (7-8 days) after wisdom tooth extraction, you can stop worrying about a dry socket as gums take this much time to close fully. But remember, every patient recovers differently, which depends on the age, oral hygiene, and the care taken.
What foods cause dry socket? ›This includes nuts, popcorn, rice, and pasta. These types of foods can dislodge blood clots from extraction sites and cause dry socket.
How long does the blood clot stay after tooth extraction? ›Blood Clots Protect the Wound
A blood clot will start to form right after your surgical procedure as blood cells called platelets clump together with a sticky protein called fibrin. This clotting can occur for the next 24 hours to stop the bleeding and protect your nerves and bone from infection and irritation.
How will I know if my blood clot fell out? If you develop dry sockets, the pain will let you know that your wound is no longer protected. Swelling is also an indication you have lost your blood clot, as is the taste of blood in your mouth.
Should I go to the ER if I think I have dry socket? ›If pain worsens after a tooth extraction, contact your dentist or oral surgeon immediately for evaluation and treatment. If you don't have access to the doctor who performed the surgery, don't delay in getting emergency help from an urgent care facility or emergency department.
How long do you have to keep a tea bag on after tooth extraction? ›
If bleeding still has not stopped, place a teabag in lukewarm water, squeeze out excess water and wrap it in gauze. Bite down on the wet teabag for up to 30 minutes. The tannic acid in the tea bag should help to stop the bleeding.