Dry socket is a painful complication one can experience after tooth extraction. When a tooth is pulled from its socket, a blood clot quickly forms in its place to protect all the nerves and sensitive tissues from exposure.
If the blood clot is dislodged, you can experience a dry socket, and your healing can be delayed. Luckily, dry socket is rare and can be successfully prevented through a few key steps:
You should not directly touch the blood clot with your tongue, finger, or toothbrush. You can brush the rest of your teeth but skip the extraction site.
Use gentle mouthwash or saline water to cleanse the mouth and keep the extraction site clean of food particles and unwanted bacteria.
Drinking through straws seems like a good strategy to protect the extraction site from drinks, but it can do more harm than good. The suction motion may end up dislodging the clot and leading to a dry socket.
The same applies to spitting, where you’re making the same suction motion. If you use saline water to cleanse your mouth, rather than spitting, you should open your mouth and gently allow the liquid to pour into the sink.
Smoking also creates a suction motion that increases the risk of dry sockets. But, tobacco in general was shown to impact healing, which can delay your timeline tremendously.
You should chew on the other side of your mouth a few days after your surgery until the implant site heals.
But it’s also recommended to eat softer foods that don’t require a lot of chewing, such as smoothies, mashed potatoes, or yogurt.
When you chew hard foods, some particles can travel and accidentally affect the blood clot, even if you try to be careful. This especially applies to foods that crumble, such as chips or crackers.
While a tooth extraction doesn’t seem like a major procedure, your body is still in a vulnerable state. It’s very important to continue caring for your oral health and avoid additional complications after your procedure.
You should continue to brush your teeth twice a day, but it is preferable to do so after every meal. Cleanse the mouth with water if you can’t brush.
Strenuous physical activity increases your blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of bleeding. Your Sparta dentist will recommend taking it easy for a few days after your extraction until the site heals.
If you’re dealing with a badly damaged tooth and might need an extraction, Dr. Austin Goodyke can help.
Schedule a consultation at Sparta Family Dentistry online, or call us at (616) 887-0131 for more information.
