Avoid These 3 Mistakes To Prevent Dry Socket After Having Your Tooth Extracted
Posted on: 11 July 2017
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If you have just had a tooth extracted by your dentist, you should do what you can to avoid dry socket, a very painful condition that happens when the clot comes out of the surgical site and exposes the raw tissue and nerves. For the first few days after your extraction, avoid the following three mistakes that could lead to dry socket.
Avoid Using a Straw for Several Days
Because your gums will still be sore after the surgery, you may be tempted to drink liquids or soup through a straw to keep from having to move your mouth too much. However, using a straw after an extraction could lead to dry socket.
When you use a straw, the sucking action creates negative pressure within your mouth. The more you suck on the straw, the more this negative pressure builds up and tugs on the clot. Eventually, the clot could become dislodged and fall out completely.
Instead of using a straw, take small sips of liquids. If possible, avoid the area where your tooth extraction site is located to decrease any discomfort.
Quit or Cut Back on Smoking
Sucking on a straw is not the only mistake you could make that could pull the clot out of the socket. The same negative pressure that occurs when using a straw happens when you smoke a cigarette.
Smoking a cigarette within the first few hours after your procedure could also lead to a dry socket in other ways. Along with other detrimental effects to your surgical site, such as slowing healing and restricting blood flow, the chemicals found in cigarette smoke could prevent the formation of the clot to begin with, leaving the socket open from the start.
If you cannot or do not want to quit smoking after your extraction, at least try to cut back. You should also leave at least the corners of your mouth open slightly to keep the negative pressure from building up and dislodging the clot.
Do Not Remove Stuck-On Dried Gauze
After you leave the dentist's office, they will most likely place gauze over the extraction site to collect the normal small amounts of blood and discharge. You will be instructed when you can remove this gauze. However, do not quickly rip it off—first, check to see if it has dried out.
Because you may have a dry mouth after your surgery, the gauze could also dry out and stick to the site. If this happens and you pull on the gauze, you risk the possibility of removing the clot along with it.
When it comes time to take the gauze off, gently pull on the end of the fabric. If the pad does not come off easily, do not try to remove it yet.
Instead, mix a teaspoon of salt with a cup of water and rinse your mouth with the solution. The water will moisten the gauze, while the salt can help dissolve the discharge that is making the pad stick to your gums.
After rinsing your mouth, see if the gauze has loosened. If not, rinse your mouth again, and repeat the process until you can easily remove the gauze without tugging on the blood clot.
When you avoid the above mistakes the first few days after your tooth extraction, you can reduce your risk of developing a painful dry socket. However, if you start having sharp pains in your jaw and find that the clot has come out of the socket, contact a dentist like David B Anderson, DDS, PC immediately to discuss your options for treating the condition and making yourself more comfortable until it heals.