What causes dry socket? Know the cause to prevent it

We must be careful when extracting teeth and should go to a regular hospital. If the wound is too large during the extraction process, it is likely to become infected and cause dry socket. The pain of dry socket is very severe, and sometimes there will be fever and general discomfort.

1. Pathological causes

The cause may be due to injury, infection, excessive socket, poor blood supply and decreased patient resistance. Histopathological findings include superficial osteitis or mild localized osteomyelitis of the alveolar socket wall.

2. Prevention of dry socket

In order to prevent the occurrence of dry socket, trauma should be minimized during the tooth extraction process, and the incision should be minimized after the tooth extraction. The buccal and lingual bone plates should be compressed to reposition them to reduce the incision. The gums should be pulled together and sutured, and the sutures should not be too tight or too dense to prevent postoperative swelling. Antibiotics can be used before and after tooth extraction to prevent infection.

3. Examination of dry socket

Symptoms of tooth infection include pain that is localized to a particular tooth and is triggered by sweetness or cold, usually because caries has approached the pulp, which contains the nerves. Such pain often disappears quickly. Patients should avoid painful stimuli, use milder analgesics, and seek medical attention as soon as possible. The clinical manifestation is spontaneous pain that begins 2 to 3 days after tooth extraction and radiates to the ear or front teeth. During examination, the doctor finds that the blood clot in the extraction socket has fallen off, exposing the bone wall and appearing grayish white. It is very painful when the probe touches the bone wall. If not treated in time, the course of the disease may last for half a month or longer.