Ok. Some of you are thinking “What is dry socket?”. Anyone who has ever suffered from it knows it all to well. This as well as so many other dental conditions are best dealt with by appropriate hygiene (brushing and flossing) so it never gets to this point. But when it does…
‘Dry socket’ is another name for alveolar osteitis. This is an extremely painful condition of the mouth that usually occurs within a week (say 2-5 days most frequently) after you’ve had a tooth extracted. Normally a small clot forms to protect the exposed bone. Anything you do to cause the loss of this protective clot can lead to inflammation and sometimes infection of that bone.
Treatment involves mostly addressing the pain. Your dentist will likely rinse the socket to eliminate any offending particles and apply a medicated dressing. Prescription pain medications often are given. These measures pretty promptly bring relief, so if your pain after having had an extraction seems especially severe, get in for an evaluation promptly.
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