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Artisan Dentistry's Blog

What You Need to Know About Dry Socket

Jul 29th, 2015

drysocket
Having a tooth removed can be painful enough without the fear of developing dry socket post-extraction.

Dry socket is a hole in the mouth that is created when a tooth is removed. The hole is typically covered by a blood clot, which protects the nerve from exposure to air, the elements, and other things that can cause infection and lead to pain.

If the clot is dislodged before the socket has healed, then it becomes exposed to everything, food, air, and other elements. This exposure leads to dryness in the socket, which causes pain. This can be extremely painful because air, food, or other things can get into the socket. To treat the pain, try over-the-counter medicines, but if the pain is too severe, you may need a prescription for pain medicine from your dentist or oral surgeon.

If after your extraction you think that your clot may have been dislodged, call your dentist immediately. If food or other irritants get into the socket and stay there without attention from your dentist, an infection can occur. But, if you see your dentist, they can clean the socket and pack it with gauze to protect it. Your dentist might also recommend an antibiotic to prevent infection.

The best way to avoid getting a dry socket is to avoid drinking from a straw and smoking. These activities can dislodge your clot and open your socket up to air and the elements. Also, certain birth control pills can prevent effective blood clotting, so make sure to discuss all medications with your dentist before extraction.

Warranty

Our 5 Year Warranty

Anyone can train to be a technician, but few have the talent to become an artist. That’s why Dr. Mathew is able to guarantee his cosmetic dentistry work for a full 5 years. If anything goes wrong with the work, Dr. Mathew will fix it free of charge, as long as you continue with your regular 6 month preventative care cleaning and check up for the duration of the warranty.

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Individualized
Treatment Rooms

Our individualized treatment rooms and operatories provide patients with maximum privacy and comfort. The treatment rooms were built specifically with your comfort in mind.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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The information presented here is not intended or implied to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should be used for informational purposes only.