If you’ve had a tooth taken out, you might have experienced an uncomfortable condition called dry socket. This happens in around 5% of tooth extractions, when the bone has been exposed. Dry socket can be very painful, but staying in touch with the dentist that extracted your tooth will reduce your risk of dry socket and make sure you can get it treated if it does strike.

When does dry socket occur?

If you do get dry socket, it’ll probably hit you during the first few days after you’ve had your tooth removed. There’s bound to be a bit of discomfort after having a tooth taken out, but dry socket is especially uncomfortable. Your blood should clot after a tooth extraction, but if it doesn’t, the bone will be exposed and this can make you very sensitive to food, drink and even the air you breathe.

What causes it?

Smoking is a big one for disturbing the post-extraction blood clot, as is drinking through a straw. Blood clotting can also be affected by immunosuppressive drugs and birth control pills. If you take any of these, ask your dentist for advice when discussing your tooth extraction.

How is dry socket treated?

Luckily, dry socket can be dealt with easily by applying special medication to the area and carrying on with your oral hygiene routine. Always follow your dentist’s advice after having a tooth removed.

Leeds dentists solve dry socket problems

Having a tooth extracted can unfortunately lead to some problems.  In roughly five percent of cases a condition called dry socket can develop.  This painful affliction affecting exposed bone is easily treated by your Leeds dentist, who will be able to identify the problem if it occurs after an extraction.

Dry socket can strike about two days after a tooth has been extracted.  Tooth removal always leaves the area a little sore but dry socket is noticeable because of the extra pain.  If blood does not clot properly in the area left exposed by the extraction then the bone can react badly to contact with air, food and drink. Clotting is your body’s natural procedure to protect wounds but sometimes the clot can become dislodged or fail to form at all.

There are several steps you can take to guard against dry socket.  If you are a smoker, it is important that you cease during the period immediately after a tooth extraction.  Smoking can disturb the blood clot and slow down the healing process.  Any activity involving excessive sucking can bring about dry socket so you are advised not to drink through a straw during recuperation.  The birth control pill can also bring about dry socket because it affect your body’s ability to clot.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of Leeds dentists are here to help

Your City Dental Leeds dentist will be able to advise you about how to avoid dry socket but if it should occur it is easily rectified by applying medication at the site.  Continuation of your regular oral hygiene routine and being careful about how you treat your mouth in the aftermath of having a tooth extracted will, in most cases, prevent dry socket.