Wisdom Teeth Removal & Dry Socket

[00:03.56] What is a dry socket? That's one of the most common questions we receive when discussing the surgery with our patients because everyone is worried about getting a dry socket.

[00:06.20] It's called a dry socket because when you look in the mouth and you look in the socket where the tooth used to be, it just looks empty and dry.

[00:08.89] So first, I tell my patients, number one, don't worry, most patients don't get dry socket. It's a very low percentage, somewhere between ten and twelve percent of patients that suffer from dry socket.

[00:11.36] But it's a very simple thing and it's a very simple thing to cure.

[00:13.13] What happens when we remove a wisdom tooth is we leave a hole in the bone where the tooth used to be, and that bone is lined with nerve endings.

[00:14.15] Now typically, that hole fills in with blood and a clot forms, and that clot serves as a protective mechanism. It protects that lining of the bone as the healing begins.

[00:16.07] If at any time early on in the first two to three days after the procedure that clot is lost and the hole is left empty, we refer to that as a dry socket.

[00:17.75] Typically, it presents with a throbbing pain where those nerve endings are now exposed to water, air, and the environment of the mouth.

[00:19.07] Most patients fear dry socket because of how it has been historically treated: a number of visits, uncomfortable visits, where material is packed into this dry socket causing fairly intense pain and discomfort.

[00:21.77] And luckily for us, that's not the case anymore. The treatment is very simple, it takes only a few minutes.

[00:23.20] Basically, it amounts to a pillow with a medication being placed into the socket where within just a few minutes the pain dissipates and goes away.

[00:24.62] So if you're worried about dry socket, just know that if you are one of the very few that actually has that experience in our office, the treatment is simple, it's easy, and it's really nothing to worry about.

[00:26.60] Check us out online, check out our reviews, or call our office for a price quote today.

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