dry socket or alveolar osteitis is severe pain after tooth extraction due to inflammation in the jawbone. Normally, the empty space or socket in the extracted tooth will be covered by a blood clot. The function of these blood clots is to protect the bones and nerves before they are covered by new tissue.
On dry socket, these blood clots do not form or disappear before the tooth extraction wound is closed. As a result, bones and nerves become exposed to air, liquid, or food that enters the mouth. In addition to causing severe pain, complications after tooth extraction can trigger infection.
Symptom Dry Socket
When experiencing dry socket, the symptoms will begin to feel a few days after tooth extraction. Symptoms experienced include:
- Pain that appears after one to three days after tooth extraction.
- This pain can radiate to the ears, eyes, neck, or neck
- Bad breath.
- Gum swelling and redness.
- The socket area feels very soft to the touch
- Complete or partial disappearance of the blood clot in the area of the extracted tooth.
- Visible bone in the socket.
- The socket area feels very soft to the touch.
Reason Dry Socket
dry socket This is caused by the disruption of the blood clotting process in the area of the extracted tooth. There are several factors that can interfere with this blood clotting process, including:
- Infections in the mouth that occur before or during tooth extraction.
- Hormone disorders.
- Take birth control pills.
- Abnormalities of the jawbone structure.
- Excessive injury at the extraction site, because the tooth is difficult to remove.
- Smoking habits, because the influence of nicotine in cigarettes reduces the blood supply in the mouth.
- The habit of drinking through a straw, expelling saliva, and brushing rough teeth can remove blood clots.
In addition to the several triggering factors above, people who have experienced dry socket previously more susceptible to dry socket back after tooth extraction.
Diagnosis Dry Socket
Dentists will suspect that happened dry socket, if the patient has complaints as above after tooth extraction. The doctor will examine the area of the extracted tooth. This test aims to look for blood clots in the socket.
If a more serious disease is suspected, such as a bone infection (osteomyelitis) or the remaining part of the root of the tooth, the dentist may ask the patient to take a panoramic X-ray of the tooth.
Treatment dry socket
The main goal of treatment dry socket is to relieve pain symptoms that arise while waiting for the healing process dry socket. Below are the stages of treatment carried out by dentists for patients: dry socket:
- In the initial treatment, the doctor will clean the socket or cavity of the extracted tooth from the remaining food residue.
- Next, the doctor can coat the socket with a paste or gel containing painkillers, in addition to reducing pain, but also to protect the visible bone.
- If the pain persists, your doctor may prescribe a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ibuprofen or mefenamic acid), or an antibiotic if a bacterial infection occurs.
During the healing process dry socket, follow-up treatment needs to be carried out at home by gently gargling with salt water or a doctor-prescribed mouthwash to clean the remaining food that has accumulated in the socket and speed up the healing process. In addition, patients are recommended to compress the face area that is experiencing pain dry socket with ice wrapped in a towel to relieve pain.
During the healing period, doctors recommend patients to:
- Do not smoke.
- Drink lots of water and avoid fizzy drinks.
- Brush your teeth slowly, especially around the area of the extracted tooth socket.
The healing process usually takes 7 to 10 days.
Prevention Dry Socket
In order to avoid dry socket, the patient was asked not to smoke before the tooth extraction procedure, until the wound was completely healed or stopped forever. In addition, patients who take birth control pills are advised to discuss again with their dentist about taking birth control pills when extracting teeth.
After the tooth is extracted, the following things need to be done to prevent this from happening:dry socket, among others:
- Avoid hard, hot, spicy, and difficult-to-chew foods for a few days after tooth extraction.
- When gargling, do it slowly.
- Do not drink through a straw or spit for a few days after the tooth is extracted.
- Do a follow-up examination to the dentist to determine the condition of the extracted tooth.