How To Prevent A Dry Socket or Alveolar Osteitis From Happening?

How to prevent a dry socket from happening? This is a question we are discussing in this article. If you have removed your wisdom teeth recently, then you must have to know about how to prevent a dry socket infection. Here we discussed some essential things to consider before a tooth extraction like smoking, use of alcohol etc.

If somebody (after the tooth removal) feels an increase in pain, swelling or seeing any infection after two or three days of the tooth extraction. Then he or she may have a dry socket, which is also known as alveolar osteitis. If you know about the reasons behind a dry socket formation then read this article.

How To Prevent Dry Socket

Read: Reasons behind a dry socket

What is a Dry Socket or Alveolar Osteitis?

Due to poor oral hygiene and negligence of dentist's advice, more people after the tooth extraction develops a dry socket. Commonly, pain and swelling went after one or two days of a tooth extraction. But in some cases, pain and swelling increases over the time or an infection occurs after a few days of tooth removal.

Dry Socket

Due to the reasons described below, the blood clot which forms after the tooth extraction dislodge. And the tooth socket becomes open to food and air. A socket which contains most sensitive open nerves endings, so the food particles may enter in the socket and may cause infection.

Read: What to do if you have a dry socket or alveolar osteitis?

How to Prevent A Dry Socket Naturally?

After the wisdom teeth removal, the first question arises in mind is "how to prevent a dry socket". You must follow your dentist's or oral surgeon instructions and aftercare tips strictly. Here are all the aftercare tips and instructions which your doctor, dentist or oral surgeon will advise you after the surgery.

So, you need to adopt these tips like avoiding smoking for two to three days after the tooth extraction, don't use alcohol, carbonated beverages, straw for drinking water and other fluids, don't eat hard and rough foods, maintain healthy oral hygiene (don't brush the surgery area for at least first 48 hours), don't use mouthwashes because most of them contain alcohol and other harmful chemicals. These all tips will help you to prevent a dry socket.

How to Prevent a Dry Socket after Oral Surgery?

You need to avoid these acts to avoid a dry socket. Below are all factors you should read to know about how to prevent a dry socket after wisdom tooth extraction or any other tooth removal.

Spitting and Talking Excessively

Spitting and talking excessively after the wisdom teeth oral surgery is the main reason behind the development of a dry socket. You must relax for first 24 hours after the tooth extraction. You don't need to do anything like exercise, talking with friends excessively or spitting. Because it may cause a dry socket or alveolar osteitis.

Don't Remove Gauze Piece

Another big mistake that you may do is removing the gauze piece just after the surgery. Your oral surgeon will place a clean gauze piece just after the teeth removal on tooth socket. This gauze piece will help stop bleeding and reduce the aches.

The gauze piece will suck the blood and what you need to do is replace this gauze piece after every 30 minutes with a new one. Do this process until the bleeding stops. You may use an ice pack home remedy to stop bleeding and if after your all efforts bleeding don't stop then you may read the following article.

Read: How to stop bleeding after tooth extraction

Avoid Smoking for First 48 hours

People also ask for "How to prevent a dry socket while smoking". We can imagine the smokers situation after an oral surgery. Cigarettes contain nicotine which reduces the blood supply in the mouth. Hence the dry socket developed. If you are thinking how shortage of blood supply in mouth leads to the development of a dry socket then the answer is,

the blood clot which forms just after the tooth extraction on the surgery area, doesn't allow air and other foods particles to enter in the open socket (contains the open nerve endings). And promotes the healing process dislodged because of the shortage of blood supply.

Dry socket (scientific name alveolar osteitis) increases the healing process and is more painful than you think. Avoid cigarettes and other nicotine and caffeine containing products is the only way to avoid a dry socket wisdom teeth.

Avoiding Alcohol

The reasons for avoiding alcohol and products which contain alcohol (in high composition) are the same as discussed above for smoking. You must avoid the intake of alcohol in any form to confirms the best wisdom teeth removal aftercare. You are reading about "how to prevent a dry socket" from happening and hurting, so make sure to follow all these tips.

Hot Drinks like Coffee, Tea etc

We are discussing how to prevent a dry socket. You must avoid drinking hot liquids like coffee, tea etc for the first 24 hours of the oral surgery. Coffee, tea contains the active ingredient "caffeine" which also reduces the blood supply in the mouth and increase the risk of a blood clot to dislodge. So a Dry socket forms after the tooth extraction due to the negligence of people. You should also avoid Soda because it also increases the risk of alveolar osteitis, also known as a dry socket wisdom teeth.

Straw for Drinking Fluids

This is the most common mistakes which patients after the wisdom tooth extraction do. We advise you to avoid straws for drinking water or other fluids like smoothies, juices, and milk etc. Because the sucking motion of your mouth will dislodge the blood clot and then you may fall into high risks of a dry socket. As we are discussing "how to prevent a dry socket in the mouth", So we wanted to share all of the factors which increase the risk alveolar osteitis.

Ensure Healthy Oral Hygiene

You don't need to brush on the surgery area for the first 48 hours of oral surgery. But you must ensure a healthy oral hygiene to prevent a dry socket infection. Rinse your mouth with lukewarm salt water two to three times in a day. Salt water removes the bacteria in the mouth and

How to prevent a dry socket? So above are the major reasons behind the development of a dry socket or alveolar osteitis. You must follow these tooth removal aftercare instructions and aftercare tips strictly for the first 48 hours. Because if you neglect the importance of avoiding smoking, alcohol, use of straws for drinking fluids and liquids, carbonated beverages like soda, and fail in maintaining the healthy oral hygiene. 

Then you are at high risk of alveolar osteitis formation because just one reason (discussed above) is enough to dislodge a blood clot. If anybody has more questions about the answer of "How to prevent a dry socket or alveolar osteitis from happening and hurting" then feel free to comment below. We will answer you as soon as possible.