Dry socket, also known by the medical term alveolar osteitis, is an inflammation of the alveolar bone. It usually does not occur by itself. Most of the time, it is a complication of various dental procedures. It can be very painful and is generally uncomfortable.
To understand the root cause of dry sockets, it is best to use an example. The procedure of dental extraction is by far the most common cause of dry sockets. When a tooth is extracted, the area where the root used to be is usually filled with a blood clot which forms on its own to protect the exposed area. The clot seals the area and bacteria and viruses cannot enter the inner structure of the mouth or jaw.
However, the clot can often get dislodged, removed or broken down. Sometimes, the clot may even fail to form altogether. The protection provided by the clot is then lost and the bone is left exposed to all the fluids, food, bacteria and air that enters the mouth. This is far from ideal, and various symptoms develop as a result.
It is common to experience a certain amount of pain after a dental extraction, but it you feel the pain has not subsided a few days after the extraction, and even the analgesics are nor helping, then something may have happened and a visit to the dentist is in order. While throbbing pain is the most common symptom, you can often see an empty socket yourself, which is sensitive and extremely painful to touch. Bad breath is also common, and usually goes in tandem with a strange taste in the mouth. There should be no fever or swelling – the tell-tale signs of bacterial infection - as dry socket usually does not get infected.
Luckily, dry socket is not a common condition after a dental extraction. The total prevalence depends on the tooth being extracted, but it ranges from 1 to 5 per cent. Some teeth are riskier than others – as much as 30 per cent of impacted wisdom teeth result in this complication, likely because the procedure is more invasive and there is a higher risk of trauma. Lower teeth also develop dry socket more often than upper teeth. Still, even if you do develop a dry socket, there are usually no long-term consequences once the area heals properly.
There are some risk factors that may affect your susceptibility to this complication. One of them is, of course, smoking. Nicotine reduces the blood supply to the extraction site, and thus, the clot might not form at all. Bad oral hygiene is also a factor. Bacterial infections in the mouth also increase the prevalence of dry socket. Interestingly, women on birth control pills also experience a higher rate of dry sockets, due to hormonal changes that occur. Females are advised to undergo extraction procedures when they are on their period, as the risk of dry socket is the lowest during that time. Older people are also a higher-risk group, as there is less blood flow available in this area due to the bones increasing in density.
There is evidence to suggest that rinsing with chlorhexidine prior to the procedure reduces the frequency. Some dentists routinely give out antibiotics before extractions of wisdom teeth to reduce the risk of infection. After the procedure, try not to drink through a straw and rinse your mouth gently, as this may cause the blood clot to fall off due to large forces – think of it as a scab of sorts. Avoid smoking for at least a couple days, as this markedly shortens the healing time.
If you do develop a dry socket, there are a few remedies you can try. Aside from taking painkillers if necessary, you can try rinsing your mouth with a local anesthetic. Saline solutions can also ease comfort. It is important to remove food debris from the socket in order to reduce inflammation and the risk of infection. In a vast majority of cases, pain subsides after a week or two, but in some, it may last for up to a month. Visit your dentist regularly, as they will apply a special analgesic paste on the exposed area. This will relieve your symptoms and speed up healing.
While dry socket is by far the most comfortable thing in the world, it is good to keep in mind that a tooth that has been extracted would likely lead to more long-term pain and, possibly, infection in the future. That is why the benefits of extraction almost always outweigh the potential risks of dry socket and infections.
Comments