Symptoms and Risk Factors of Dry Socket

What is dry socket?

It is the most common complication following a tooth extraction procedure. The condition is quite painful and other symptoms may also occur. There are certain factors that increase the risk of this happening after a tooth removal. It is important to consult your dentist. Learn more here.

After a tooth extraction, a blood clot is usually formed at the wound site. The dentist knows that the clot over the wound serves as a shield, protecting the tissue, bone, and nerves therein, otherwise they will be left exposed. Hence, to keep the clot in place, your dentist will ask you to bite on a small gauze pad placed on top. He will instruct you to keep it there in the next one hour at least.

It may happen that a blood clot doesn’t form or the clot gets dislodged, leaving the bone and nerves exposed to the air. After some time the wound would become painful. It is now called a dry socket or alveolar osteitis. You will have to see your dentist for this, a situation that could have been avoidable.

How will you recognize that you may have a dry socket?

Firstly, the wound site becomes painful due to the exposed nerves, the clot that protects the wound is no longer there, some bone is exposed, a foul odor emanates from your mouth, or a bad taste in the mouth.

The most common symptom of pain can run anywhere from right after extraction to several days. While pain is normal after the procedure, it should not worsen.

It is not so clear why it happens to some and not to others, but experts say that certain factors play a role in dry socket. Smoking or chewing tobacco is one. Poor oral hygiene and failure to follow dentist’s instructions that lead to clot dislodgement also contribute. Presence of an infection near the tooth concerned or the surrounding gums increases the risk. Sometimes women who use birth control pills or have ERT are suspect, too. Another risk factor is a history of dry socket.

Dry socket can be avoided with proper care. Though it may be a transient condition, it is quite painful. Seek appropriate treatment when it happens to prevent other complications.

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Avoiding Dry Socket Experience in Bellevue

We at Overlake Dental are well aware of the high incidence of complications after tooth extraction. Rest assured that we take all proper precautions and care to ensure safe and effective dentistry.

Tips and Helps for Tooth Extraction Healing and Recovery

The treatment of wisdom tooth extraction can cause patients some discomfort by way of pain, swelling, bruising, or some other inconvenience that can drag for quite some time. It is hence important that the healing journey be made as comfortable as possible so as not to impede the quality of life. Here are some helpful tips that can speed up the healing process.

Wisdom tooth extraction can leave a localized swelling in the site of removal. After the anesthetic has waned, you can feel the traumatized tissue undergoing swelling and inflammation, some pain and bleeding, that can make you very uncomfortable. Hence, pay heed to your dentist-surgeon’s after-care instructions to make your healing process go smoothly.

You may be prescribed anti-inflammatory meds, like ibuprofen or naproxen, to decrease the swelling. Ice packs or a cold compress applied to that area of your face where the removal site is will also bring the swelling down and ease any pain that accompanies it. Apply this cold application 15 minutes on and followed by 15 minutes off for a few hours thereafter. Starting 24 hours after your surgery, if swelling still occurs, rinse the mouth with salt water or an oral rinse that is also antiseptic to prevent infection.

Note that immediately after your procedure, your dentist-surgeon will ask you to bite on a gauze pad placed over your wound. Keep it there in the next 60 minutes as it will prevent the wound from further bleeding out, and so that blood clots can form. Blood clots are essential in the healing process because they cover the wound and protect it from infection. They also protect the exposed bone and allow new tissue to grow.

After your gauze has come off, do not dislodge the clots in the next 24 hours. Do not try to rinse your mouth, drink hot fluids, suck on straws, or chew your food. They can dislodge the clot and cause pain. Definitely do not smoke or drink because these things can impede healing.

For a few days more, eat only soft or liquid foods like gelatin, mashed bananas, pudding, thin soup, and the like. Avoid foods that need chewing or crunching, and foods that are spicy. Don’t engage in exercises or any strenuous activity. Raise your head when lying down or when sleeping. Lastly, keep your wound clean with an occasional antiseptic mouth rinse that helps against infection.

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Helping In Your Healing Journey in Bellevue

Rest assured that we are here to help you through your healing process after a wisdom tooth extraction. Know more about wisdom tooth removal and its after-care from your Bellevue dentist.

A Little History of The Dental Floss

Dental floss has become routine in our daily oral hygiene regimen, yet it wasn’t the case before. Since early times, people have tried using different tools to take out irritating matter stuck in between the teeth. While the toothbrush has been used in its earliest form to clean teeth, floss is fairly a recent invention. Know more about where this magic string came from.

While dentists early on know that debris stuck in between teeth can cause future gum problems, it was a dentist from New Orleans, Levi Spear Parmly, who came out with the first form of dental floss. In 1819, he said a waxen silk thread running through the spaces between the teeth, including the gum arches, can dislodge debris that a toothbrush cannot remove. It caught on and became popular. However, floss only became commercially available in the latter part of the century when the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing unwaxed silk floss. In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation patented it using the same silk material that surgeons used for stitches.

By the 1940s, the dental floss material was nylon which replaced silk. Its texture is more consistent and resistant to shredding, definitely an improvement over silk. Then the use of nylon made possible the development of waxed floss in the 1940s, and for the development of dental tape in the 1950s. By the 1970s, North Americans had made dental floss a part of their daily oral care routine.

From that time dental floss came in a variety of types. There are waxed and unwaxed dental floss, soft floss and spongy floss, and others. And there are those that can be used around braces and other oral appliances. There are expensive dental floss and inexpensive ones. Practically, their price tags do not mean much difference. Today’s interdental cleaners may come with dispensers, or have plastic wands or as floss picks.

But there are factors to consider in picking out the better version for you. For example, consider the tightness between your teeth surfaces; a dental tape is recommended for larger tooth spaces. Consider, too, the gingival contour, and the roughness of the surfaces of neighboring teeth. You might also need to consider if the user has the dexterity and preference to use certain types of dental floss.

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Learn More About Dental Floss

For a more informed discussion about dental flosses, seek your dentist’s recommendations. Come and see your Bellevue dental professionals here at Overlake Dental and find out more.

The Advantages and Disadvantages

Many people are of the belief that one of the amazing benefits of baking soda is that it is good for teeth brushing. Today, even manufacturers of toothpaste put baking soda into their formulas. However, there are advantages and disadvantages when using baking soda to clean teeth.

Advantages of baking soda for oral health:

• It is readily available almost anywhere and also inexpensive. A box can last you a long time and can be used for other things, not just for tooth brushing.
• It can clean your teeth because it is a light abrasive; it’s effective in scrubbing away dental plaque that’s accessible
• It can also lighten the color of teeth by scrubbing away new surface stains, like those of coffee, red wine, nicotine, to a certain degree
• It can prevent tooth decay and limit plaque buildup because it remineralizes the enamel and neutralizes acid
• It can help stave off gum disease because of its ability to limit plaque buildup which causes gum issues.

Disadvantages of baking soda for oral health:

• It’s messy using baking soda powder to brush your teeth. The powder can get onto your clothes, the counter, or your face. That is why toothpaste manufacturers incorporate it into their products instead.
• It feels very gritty in the mouth and can leave an unpleasant feeling of the powder substance.
• It does not contain fluoride, which is essential in fighting bacteria and acid in dental plaque.
• Fluoride is better in remineralizing the enamel, making it strong and preventing cavity formation.
• It can lead to damaged enamel if it is used too often. It can be used a few times a week or on occasion only. It can also cause enamel damage if you are in the habit of brushing too vigorously.

If you think that the benefits of using baking soda for brushing outweigh its disadvantages, then confirm with your dentist. Anyway, according to the Journal of Clinical Dentistry (June 2008), brushing teeth with baking soda products was more effective than using products without baking soda.

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Learn More About Cleaning Teeth in Bellevue

Come see your friendly Bellevue dentist for more helpful tips about teeth cleaning. Let’s see what’s the best for you. Learn that you have several options with regards to aids in better tooth brushing.

Causes and Remedies

Pregnancy for the expectant comes with many side effects that can either be tolerable or very cumbersome to deal with. Some would be unexpected or surprising, situations you have never experienced before and you might not know how to deal with them. From those many side-effects, a lesser known symptom is actually quite common. It’s dry mouth.

What are the symptoms of dry mouth in pregnancy?

One sign is the constant soreness of the throat, a kind of burning sensation there. It may also encompass the entire mouth. As a result you might suffer from hoarseness and have difficulty swallowing. Another symptom is dryness inside your nose. This can be bothersome as the inside of your nose is almost always wet. Speaking may become difficult. You might also experience an altered sense of taste.

What causes dry mouth during pregnancy?

A major culprit is dehydration. You can lose a lot of water while pregnant, a lot more than if you are not pregnant. Water helps in your baby’s development. Insufficient hydration may harm your baby and, in severe cases, may cause developmental defects.

Signs that you are dehydrated are any of the following: extreme thirst, overheating, headache and dizziness, fatigue, and dark yellow urine.

Hence, drink more water everyday. Hydrate yourself well because it also hydrates your baby. This way you can counter dry mouth.

Do you have sleep concerns while pregnant?

You may have difficulty falling asleep or have insomnia. If you snore or have sleep apnea, you are likely sleeping open-mouthed, breathing through your mouth, which causes mouth dryness.

Another cause of dry mouth is your shifting hormones. Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that may narrow your throat and nasal passages causing difficulty in breathing.

If you ask your dentist, here are some home remedies that may be prescribed for you.

• Drink water during meals, or liquids at room temperature only
• Do not take carbonated drinks, like softdrinks, or beverages loaded with sugar
• Try chewing on sugarless gum or candy
• Avoid mouthwash with alcohol content

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More Tips for Pregnant Patients by Bellevue Dentist

Are you suffering from dry mouth while you’re pregnant? Come consult with your Bellevue dentist for this and other oral issues you might have while expecting.