You may have heard of dry sockets before, but do you know exactly what they are? Dry sockets often form after you have a wisdom tooth removed, but they can form after any after any tooth is extracted. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to avoid this problem.
If you need to have a tooth extracted, we recommend paying close attention to the healing process. You see, during the healing process your body will form a blood clot in the affected area. If this clot dislodges, dissolves, or doesn’t form correctly, you could find yourself coping with a dry socket. While it can be difficult to tell why your blood clot didn’t form, infections, oral contraceptives, and smoking could all be factors.
There are a number of things you can do to prevent dry sockets from forming. For example, please refrain from exercising too vigorously while your mouth heals. You should also remember to gently rinse out your mouth after your procedure. If you swish too forcefully, you could dislodge your clot. Finally, please remember to avoid sucking through a straw and smoking.
Do you have more questions about how you can avoid dry socket? Would you like to learn more about other things you should do after a tooth extraction or on why our team may need to remove a tooth? Are you simply hoping to schedule an appointment with our dentist, Dr. David Umansky? If so, we invite you to contact Smile Big Pediatric Dentistry at 713-697-6453. We’re eager to hear from you.