Dry Socket
Steven B. Horne, DDS
Dr. Steve Horne began his career at Brigham Young University obtaining his BA in English. He earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 2007 from the University of Southern California where his pursuit for academic excellence landed him on the Dean's List. He was recognized for his superior clinical skills and invited to help teach other dental students in courses on restorative dentistry, prosthodontics, and tooth anatomy. During dental school, he provided dental care for underserved populations of Los Angeles and Orange County, Mexico, and Costa Rica with AYUDA. Following dental school, Dr. Horne entered active duty with the U.S. Army and practiced dentistry at Fort Knox, Kentucky, for four years. During this time, he was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, and received multiple Army Achievement Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, and served as Company Commander. Dr. Horne currently practices full time at Torrey Pines Dental Arts in La Jolla, California, as a general dentist. Dr. Horne is a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Horne is married to his wife, Christy, and they have a chocolate Labrador named Roscoe.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
- What is a dry socket?
- What causes a dry socket?
- How common is a dry socket?
- What are signs and symptoms of dry socket?
- What is the treatment for dry socket?
- Are home remedies effective for dry socket?
- Can dry socket be prevented?
- Patient Comments: Dry Socket - Experience
- Patient Comments: Dry Socket - Symptoms
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What is a dry socket?
A dry socket is a fairly common complication of tooth extraction characterized by severe pain. It occurs when the tooth socket loses the blood clot that forms after a tooth is extracted and the bone inside the socket becomes exposed. It is one of the most painful dental problems one can experience. A dry socket is also referred to as alveolar osteitis.
What causes a dry socket?
The blood clot that forms after tooth extraction is essential for optimal healing of the underlying tissue. Destruction or loss of the blood clot prevents normal healing and causes alveolar osteitis. There are a variety of reasons why the initial blood clot could be lost or destroyed prematurely. The body reacts to local infection and inflammation, trauma, bacteria, and estrogen to destroy the blood clot, leaving an exposed socket. So it is important to minimize these risk factors as much as possible.
How common is a dry socket?
A dry socket will occur in only 1% to 3% of all tooth extractions, but it becomes much more common in the extraction of lower (mandibular) wisdom teeth. In lower impacted (covered) wisdom teeth, as many as 25% to 30% of cases result in a dry socket.
What are signs and symptoms of dry socket?
A patient may first notice signs of a dry socket 3 to 4 days after extraction of the tooth by feeling moderate-to-severe pain that could last anywhere from 10 to 40 days. The exposed bone of a dry socket is very sensitive and leads to an intense dull aching pain that throbs and radiates around the affected side of the jaw often to the patient's ear. Frequently, the patient affected by a dry socket will also complain of a bad odor or bad taste in their mouth.
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