Having your wisdom teeth extracted can be a stressful enough without developing the symptoms of dry socket which can lead to intense pain in the area where the tooth was pulled. In order to diagnose dry socket, your dentist service in salem will examine the location of the extraction for any blood clots, exposed bone, or root and bone fragments that may have been left behind in the wound by mistake.
A visual examination is usually first which may also require that X-rays be taken inside your mouth and near the gums. If it is determined that you are indeed suffering from the symptoms and effects of dry socket, there are some helpful solutions to remedy the problem.
Doctor’s Orders
Your dentist will likely give you a long list of instructions to follow so that your extraction is a success and you don’t develop any major issues that might lead to dry socket. But even the best laid plans can fail and so it is with dental hygiene and oral care.
The first of these recommendations can come from your dentist in the form of putting you on a pain medication regimen. Try not to deviate from your dental professional’s prescription for managing pain and discomfort by taking your medications how and when they are prescribed. Dulling any discomfort you feel can go a long way in your proper recovery.
Flush The Socket
In order to prevent dry socket from getting worse, you are going to need to start flushing out the wound on a routine basis. Doing so can clean the extraction site of any food or other particles that might get lodged inside the wound and cause further pain, discomfort, or even a nasty mouth infection.
Medicated Topical Solutions
After the extraction occurs, your dental specialist will often place a medicated oral substance into the socket to cut down on the potential for infection or even worse. These medicated substances include gels, paste or medicated dressing that is designed to stop the spread of bacteria when used properly.
No Smoking
Some patients who smoke feel as if they can light up a cigarette shortly after their procedure is complete when, in reality, a cigarette is going to make you feel somewhat calmer and more in control of the situation. But try to refrain from smoking or using tobacco products as these can just aggravate the extraction site and make it much harder for the wound to heal.
Dental Hygiene
Once you’ve had a wisdom tooth pulled you must take every precaution to maintain proper dental hygiene but remain very careful about aggravating the extraction site. You can’t ignore the rest of your teeth either just because you’ve had some recent dental surgery.
A great way to prevent dry socket is by rinsing your mouth with warm salt water two to three times a day. That will help to keep the extraction wound clean and free of any bacteria or debris. When you brush, be sure to be very gentle near the socket so you don’t aggravate the wound with your brush.
Eating And Drinking
Your dentist may suggest that you take it easy for the first few days and avoid eating or drinking certain types of food and beverages so as not to aggravate the socket. What you consume and how you do it can both have a detrimental impact on your extraction site and could promote dry socket.
For starters be very careful about how you eat or drink, don’t chew too rigorously or bite down on hard foods. Drinking liquids is encouraged, but you may want to stay with just clear liquids for the first few days so you can stay hydrated and avoid the nausea that could come about from taking the pain medications that your dentist has prescribed.
Stay away from carbonated beverages and spicy foods as well as hard crunchy items. Stick to soft, easy to chew foods for the first couple of days so the extraction area can heal and it won’t get irritated or injured.
Avoid using a straw to drink your beverages as the pressure that is created from drinking through a straw can have a negative effect on the proper healing of the socket.
Dental Appointments
Be sure to follow up with your dentist or surgeon after the initial surgery and don’t miss any appointments. Your dental professional needs to check the socket to ensure that it is healing up correctly and help to avoid any emerging health issues or infections that might occur post-surgery. This is very important for helping to prevent dry socket.
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