Preventing Painful Dry Socket After Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Sep 23, 2024
Years ago, having a wisdom tooth extracted was a much more serious procedure than it is today. Thanks to modern dentistry, wisdom tooth extraction is a generally safe procedure that’s well-tolerated by most people.
At Llanos Dental Group, Dr. Laura Llanos offers oral surgery services, including wisdom tooth extractions. One possible complication is worth noting and taking steps to avoid, and that’s dry socket. Here are our best tips for preventing dry socket.
The medical name for dry socket is alveolar osteitis, and it’s a condition that happens following the extraction of a tooth. When a tooth is removed, your body forms a blood clot to protect the nerves in your gums. If that blood clot is dislodged or dissolves too soon, you have dry socket.
When the blood clot is compromised, the nerves and bones underneath are exposed, which can cause severe pain, bad breath, and an unpleasant taste in your mouth. The socket where your tooth was may also feel excessively dry, giving the condition its name.
Usually, dry socket occurs within the first few days following an extraction, and it can delay healing along with causing those uncomfortable symptoms.
Certain factors can increase your risk of developing dry socket. For example, oral contraceptives and poor oral hygiene both increase the chances you’ll experience the condition. Dr. Llanos recommends you contact our office right away if you have severe bleeding or signs of infection following a wisdom tooth extraction.
In order to prevent dry socket you should follow all aftercare instructions. Expect those instructions to focus on:
We may also ask you to avoid some foods or beverages, to take or wait to take certain medications, and to avoid smoking and using straws. We go over the specific instructions with you, and you’re welcome to call with any questions you may have after you leave our office.
We ask everyone to eat soft foods after an extraction because it helps to prevent dry socket. Hard or sharp foods such as tortilla chips or hard crackers can dislodge your protective blood clot. You should also avoid hot or spicy foods.
Better choices are cool, soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow. Soups, smoothies, mashed potatoes, pureed vegetables, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, applesauce, and pureed curry with rice are a few good options.
If you usually use a straw to drink your smoothie, you’ll want to skip it while you heal. Smoothies can be nutrient-dense and delicious, but sucking through a straw can create a force strong enough to dislodge that important blood clot.
You shouldn’t use a straw for at least 48 hours after your procedure, unless directed otherwise. We suggest sipping your smoothie slowly.
A study from 2022 published in Dentistry Journal found that 13.2% of smokers develop dry socket, while only 3.8% of people who don’t smoke experience the condition. Two factors are in play. One is the nicotine in smoke, and the other is the suction inhaling the smoke causes.
You shouldn’t smoke or vape for at least 48 hours after your wisdom tooth extraction. It may even turn out to be a good time for you to quit! Smoking is associated with dry socket, along with numerous other health conditions, including oral cancer.
You need to keep the site of the extraction clean, as that encourages healing and lowers the risk of infection. Gently rinse your mouth with warm saltwater several times each day, beginning the day following your procedure.
When you brush, do so gently, and carefully avoid the extraction site. Brushing too hard or too vigorously can disturb the blood clot.
Avoid strenuous activity for a few days following your procedure. Activity can increase your blood pressure and your heart rate, which raises the risk of the blood clot moving. Take some time to rest and heal.
Having any kind of surgical procedure can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help. If you get home and have questions, give Llanos Dental Group a call. If it helps you feel more prepared, schedule an appointment before your surgery, and we can go over everything ahead of time.