Tips To Treat Dry Socket: Tooth Extraction Infection

Man suffering from tooth pain

When you get your wisdom tooth removed a blood clot develops over the teeth removal area to protect the underlying nerves and bones until the gums heal. But if, for some reason, the blood clot falls off or never develops, it creates a dry socket. However, a dry socket is developed a few days after wisdom tooth extraction. Here are a few of its symptoms:

• Severe pain from the socket to eye, head, neck, and ear

• Bone visible in the socket

• Bad breath and unpleasant taste in the mouth

This painful gum problem is developed due to trauma at the extraction site, poor oral care, smoking, etc. but if you’re careful and take the right steps, you can effectively avoid dry socket. However, if you were unaware of it and are already dealing with pain, you can get rid of it if you know how to prevent dry socket.

You can follow these important tips:

Use Warm Salt Water to Rinse Mouth - One of the major causes of dry socket is poor oral health. The bacteria in the mouth cause the wound to worsen and elevate the pain. And if you use warm salt water to rinse your mouth, you can flush out minute food particles and get rid of the bacteria. This will result in faster recovery since the bacteria won’t slow the process any longer. Moreover, warm water will calm your tense mouth muscles and reduce the swelling.

How to apply

It is a simple 3-step process

Add half tablespoon of salt to 250 ml of warm water.
Rinse your mouth gently.
Repeat this 3 times a day after every meal.

Apply Hot and Cold Compress – You must apply a cold compress the day after tooth extraction. It will reduce pain as well as the swelling. And a couple of days after the extraction, you can start applying a hot compress on the outside of your jaw.

Apply Clove Oil – Clove oil is very effective since it has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. And since it also contains eugenol, it relieves pain. But clove oil shouldn’t be applied every day to the tooth extraction site since it causes a lack of blood supply and results in necrosis.

How to apply?

Take clean gauze and add 1 or 2 drops of clove oil to it. Then, place it on the wisdom tooth extraction site.

Use Black and Green Tea Bags – Putting green and black tea bags on the dry socket provides instant relief. The reason is that green and black teas have antibacterial properties. Moreover, green tea also has anti-inflammatory properties.

How to use?

Soak a green or black tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes.
Take it out and let it cool.
Once it is cool, place it on the dry socket for 15 minutes.

Use Honey-dipped Gauze – Honey has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and hence, can reduce inflammation, pain and discomfort in the affected area. It also has anti-bacterial properties which would protect you against infection which is very common after tooth extraction.

How to use?

Dip a ball of sterile gauze in honey and prepare a honey dressing. Dab it gently on to the affected area and change the dressing every few hours.

Though these home remedies are very effective, if the problem persists, you must see a dentist. Carelessness can result in complications since if the infection gets severe, it can spread to the bone. So, try out these tips for a few days and if you think they are not working for you, visit your dentist or surgeon.

Author Bio: Dr. Anu Isaac, DMD, runs a successful dental practice in Salem, MA. As the founder of Coral Dental Care, she is dedicated to creating healthy, beautiful smiles for her patients and also to educating dental and non-dental community with her engaging articles on all things related to oral health, recent dental innovations, and latest treatment modalities.