Dry socket condition occurs as a painful experience a few days after having a tooth extraction done. Most victims of this condition experience a bad taste in the mouth that is accompanied by intense pain. Having a dry socket condition is often the first signal to a patient that the healing process from the teeth extracted has failed. Here are a few things that you should know about this condition and how to manage it should it ever occur to you.

Causes

A dry socket occurs when the blood clot that normally forms after a tooth extraction is partially or fully lost due to a variety of factors. Blood clots form to seal the wound from further bleeding but also play a key role in ensuring that the wound is protected from an infection that may lead to inflammation. When the blood clot is partially or fully lost, the healing process then becomes delayed and the wound is exposed to the risk of infection. Dry sockets become painful when bacterial, mechanical or other factors then affect the healing would. Typically, the same bacteria that may have been the cause of the tooth extraction in the first place may cause the blood clot not to form properly and lead to a dry socket condition. Other factors include nicotine use which serves to reduce blood flow in the mouth leading to the absence of blood clots.

Symptoms

All victims of a dry socket experience an intense throbbing pain that may affect other parts of the head such as ears and eyes. This is especially likely to occur on the side with the affected tooth. Bacteria in the wound, as well as the build-up of food in the gap, may also lead to bad breath. This is typically the basis for a diagnosis by a dentist who will visually examine the patient’s mouth during the dental visit. In most cases, patients suffering from dry socket will head back to their dentists after experiencing the intense pain that comes with this condition.

Management

When it comes to the management of a dry socket condition, dentists focus on relieving the symptoms to give the tooth a chance to heal. The dentist is likely to start by removing any debris in the socket before dressing the wound with a medicated dressing. In most cases, these two actions will relive the patient of the intense pain they are suffering. This is because the dressing often has pain-relieving medicine that works directly on the wound.

Long Term Relief

For most patients, it takes about ten days for new tissue to grow in the socket and cover the exposed nerves or bone. Once this happens, the patient is in the clear and it is not likely that the problem will reoccur again. Your dentists might, however, recommend a second visit just to confirm that the wound has healed properly.