Getting Your Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removed? How To Prevent And Treat Dry Sockets

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If you are having your wisdom teeth that are impacted removed, you will be in pain when you get home, for a few hours or a few days. There are things you may do, however, that can increase the amount of pain you feel after wisdom teeth removal. Some of these things are listed below so you know how to prevent this from happening to you.

Dry Sockets

When you have your impacted wisdom teeth removed, you end up with a large hole in each tooth area. You will keep gauze in this hole for a few hours after surgery to control the bleeding. Once you start healing, a clot forms in the holes to fill them up. If you do any of the things below you could remove this clot, which will lead to dry sockets.

Some of the things that can cause this include:

  • Smoking: Most dentists will ask you to not smoke for a few days after surgery. If you do, when you suck on the cigarette it can dislodge these clots, because the smoke, as well as air, gets into the holes.
  • Straws: If you drink from straws, you should put them down. They can also cause dry sockets in the same way cigarettes do.
  • Poor oral hygiene: If you don't brush and floss your teeth, food particles can easily get into the holes and clog them up.
  • Rinsing your mouth: Do not rinse out your mouth with water or mouthwash until the area has healed. If you do, it can dislodge the clot.

Your dentist will likely give you a type of water syringe that you can use to dislodge any food that gets into the holes.

Treatment at Home

If you develop a dry socket at night, there are treatments you can try until you can get to your dentist. One way you can help treat it is to put a few drops of eugenol, or clove oil, on a gauze, and then place the gauze over the area where the tooth was removed. This should bring you immediate relief. When you go to the dentist, he or she uses different types of treatment, which may include a clove oil paste.

Taking over the counter pain medication along with the clove oil can also be helpful. Talk with the pharmacist at the drug store on what will work the best.

You should speak with your dentist about treatment you can do at home before you have surgery.  This is important, as you do not want to mess anything up and cause you to need surgery again.


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