Does Dry Socket Heal On Its Own?

What is a Dry Socket?

Blood clot

According to Brisbane Emergency Dentists, After one of your adult teeth is extracted, a blood clot is usually formed at the empty place to protect the bone and nerve endings during healing. The blood clot helps your body with new bone growth and prevents bacteria in foods and air from entering the hole. Your body needs this blood clot to heal and rebuild gum tissues. A dry socket is usually expected to form within 24 to 48 hours after extraction and will last until the gum tissue has closed around the wound.

Dry Socket

Alveolar osteitis, commonly known as “dry socket,” occurs if the blood clot we talked about doesn’t form or detach from the wound or dissolve. A dry socket can be painful because the underlying bone and nerves are exposed to air and food debris, leading to inflammation or infection of the socket. With appropriate care and receiving instructions from a dental expert, you can quickly get rid of a dry socket and its nerve-wracking pain. Symptoms of dry socket include:

  • More bleeding than usual
  • Bone and nerves visible
  • Swelling around the socket
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Bad breath
  • Foul Taste in the Mouth
  • Tenderness
  • Slight Fever
dry socket after tooth removal

What are the signs and symptoms of dry socket?

If you have recently had one of your teeth extracted, chances are you experience a dry socket.

Keep reading to get familiar with some of its signs:

  • Throbbing pain following a tooth extraction
  • Severe pain that radiates to other parts of your face, such as your ear or neck 2 or 3 days after you had your tooth pulled
  • Experiencing bad breath and unpleasant taste in your mouth
  • Visible, exposed bone in the socket
  • A missing blood clot at the tooth extraction site

Your pain and discomfort may start right after the extraction or two or three days after your tooth has been extracted and can continue for several days. Dry socket is painful but treatable; by visiting your dental expert and receiving immediate dental care, dry socket can go away, and the normal healing process will begin.

Who is likely to get a dry socket?

While dry socket is a common dental complication, it does not necessarily happen to anyone who has their tooth extracted, and it only occurs to almost 2% to 5% of people. You will be at a higher risk of getting a dry socket if you have had your lower (mandibular) wisdom teeth extracted.

Some people have an increased risk of developing dry sockets; therefore, the dry socket will probably occur to those with one or all of the following factors.

  • Smoking: Chemical toxins of cigarettes can be pretty harmful to you, especially after tooth extraction, as it may delay the healing process and lead to severe complications such as dry socket and infection. Besides, inhaling and exhaling air can interfere with blood clot formation.
  • Not having proper oral hygiene: Poor at-home care and improper oral hygiene can also lead to dry sockets. Food particles or debris may get stuck in the socket and cause infection and severe pain.
  • Taking birth control pills: High estrogen levels in some contraceptive pills may increase the risk of getting a dry socket.
  • Using a straw: Drinking from a straw may result in the blood clot dislodging and may lead to dry socket formation.
  • Having had a dry socket before: If you have experienced a dry socket in the past, you might develop a dry socket again.
  • A traumatic tooth extraction surgery: Complications during extraction can sometimes lead to getting a dry socket after tooth extraction.

You may also be more prone to getting dry sockets if you have underlying bone issues, clotting problems, or gum disease.

How to avoid dry socket

Here are some valuable tips to prevent dry socket formation after you have a tooth extracted.

  • Try to avoid smoking before and after the tooth extraction to lower your risk of developing this painful dental condition.
  • Maintain proper oral hygiene at home; ask your dentist for necessary oral care instructions to avoid dry sockets as much as possible.
  • Avoid drinking out of a straw as the suction action may interfere with blood clot formation, or it may cause the clot to partially or entirely dislodge.
  • Choose an expert in the area of tooth extraction, especially when it comes to wisdom teeth removal.
  • Some over-the-counter medications or supplements disrupt blood clot formation; inform your dentist if you’re taking such medications before the procedure begins.
  • Do not rinse or spit after you have your tooth pulled, as they may increase the risk of getting a dry socket.

How to treat dry socket “at home.”

Your dental expert or oral surgeon may also ask you to follow these steps to lower the risks of developing a dry socket:

  1. Take oral antibiotics if you are at risk of infection and this can further complicate the healing process. It is important to note dry socket is not an infection and is not caused by bacteria.
  2. Apply antiseptic solutions to the wound.
  3. Use anti-bacterial mouthwash both before and after the surgery.
  4. Take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen or aspirin.
  5. Avoid cigarettes or other tobacco products.

How to treat dry socket “in the clinic.”

A dry socket is a temporary condition, and most of the time, it will go away on its own. It rarely leads to any severe complications, and it will be treated with proper care and treatment. An average amount of pain, discomfort, swelling, and tenderness is not to concern you. However, if the pain continues longer than expected and has led to infection, you need to contact your dentist to receive necessary oral care.

To manage the pain and discomfort followed by a dry socket, your dental professional will:

  • Remove any debris from the hole by flushing the socket with a saline solution to clean the site
  • Place some medicated gauze to relieve the pain

You may be given directions for changing the gauze and keeping the socket clean. You may need follow-up appointments with your dentist to change the dressing, and your doctor ensures the socket is healing.

Tips for after you have a tooth extracted

To accelerate the healing process after tooth extraction and prevent damage to the empty socket, you can follow these helpful instructions.

  • It helps to rest and limit your daily activities the day of the surgery.
  • You will be advised to limit any intense physical activities after your tooth is extracted.
  • Your oral surgeon will ask you to drink a lot of water and keep your body hydrated.
  • Your dentist may ask you to avoid carbonated, hot, and alcoholic drinks.
  • You will be advised to have soft foods rather than hard, crunchy foods.
  • To relieve the pain and get rid of the swollen cheeks, you can apply an ice pack the day of the surgery and warm bags the next day.
  • Take proper care of proper oral hygiene after getting your tooth extracted; ask your dental expert for tips.
  • Pay extra attention while you are brushing the side of your face where the tooth is pulled out.
  • Rinsing, spitting, sucking through a straw, and smoking should all be avoided to avoid dislodging the clot.

For more directions and valuable tips, call us today.

What is Alveogyl?

Alveogyl is an antiseptic product, and it’s used as a dry-socket treatment option to alleviate the pain and discomfort of alveolar osteitis.

Alveogyl is a dry socket dressing that can help ease the pain of the dry socket in a short amount of time and is considered a self-eliminating treatment. Therefore, it is pretty easy to use, requires no suturing, and no special attention.

Alveogyl provides patients who have had a tooth extracted with almost rapid relief from the pain of dry sockets by offering a soothing effect throughout the healing process.

Alveogyl will:

  1. perfectly adhere to the alveolus
  2. easily fill the socket
  3. require fewer visits to change the dressing
  4. convenient to apply
  5. take a short time to start relieving the pain

Using Alveogyl for Dry Sockets

The instruction is pretty simple; after cleaning the socket with saline, the dentist takes a small pellet of the paste, gently applies it to the socket and avoids applying pressure.