If you are getting your wisdom teeth taken out, you may end up getting a dry socket. You need to be aware of what dry sockets are, and know what you can do to prevent this from happening to you.

What are Dry Sockets

A dry socket means the hole in your socket where your tooth has been removed is completely dry, which means air gets to the roots, as well as fluid, food, and anything else that you put into your mouth. When you do so, these items hit the nerves and cause you to have excruciating pain.

After your surgery, your body tries to protect itself by forming a blood clot in the tooth socket so air, food, etc., cannot get to the nerves. As your tooth heals, the blood clot will dissolve on its own. If this blood clot is damaged in any way, or if it dissolves quicker than it is supposed to, this results in severe pain within the socket. 

Prevent Dry Sockets

Not everyone gets dry sockets, and actually only about 2 to 5 percent of people develop it. You could be in this small percentage, however, so you should still do things to prevent it from happening.

If you smoke, you need to refrain from it for a few days after surgery. If this is too hard for you, talk to your doctor about NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) during this time.  Smoking can contaminate the blood clot, which may cause it to dissolve.

You could also dislodge the blood clot without meaning to by sucking on straws, or if you spit out blood to forcefully the first few hours after surgery. You could also dislodge the clot when you change your gauze in the beginning while you are bleeding.

Treat Dry Sockets

Take over the counter pain medication until you can get to your dentist. When you arrive, the dentist will gently irrigate the socket to remove any debris that may be stuck in there. Next, they will place an analgesic medicated dressing within the socket to cover up the exposed bone. You should have immediate relief. The dentist will likely give you some dressings that have this analgesic on them, as you will need to change the dressing out as you start feeling pain while you are healing.

Never try to use home remedies to treat a dry socket, as you could possibly make the problem even worse.

To learn more, contact a dentist office like Health Centered Dentistry. 

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