How Socket Preservation Helps After a Tooth Extraction

After a tooth extraction, whether an impacted wisdom tooth or an infected molar, there will be a small hole remaining where the tooth was located. The dentist may recommend socket preservation after the extraction as part of the procedure and the healing process.

Dr. Pyon, Dr. Rabi and the healthcare team at the Offices of Dr. Heejoo Pyon, DDS, want to educate their patients, new and current, on the importance of Socket preservation.

What Socket Preservation Does

It is not uncommon for the bone that once supported the extracted tooth to be resorbed by the body. This resorption will cause gaps between the teeth for the remaining teeth to move out of alignment. For these reasons, a dentist may perform this procedure after an extraction.

Socket preservation involves placing a bone graft, covered with collagen membrane, into the socket and suturing the opening.

Protecting the socket also preserves the alveolar ridge, or the strip of bone that surrounds the roots of teeth. Without the bone graft to maintain the structure of this bone ridge, there may be complications with the future procedure of a dental implant to replace the extracted tooth

Avoiding a Dry Socket

Socket preservation also avoids the dry socket condition. This occurs when the blood clot formed to protect the healing area is knocked loose thereby exposing the nerve. The pain from dry socket typically begins 1-2 days after the extraction. If left untreated, the pain becomes acute and can radiate to the ear.

Care After Extraction

In addition to a soft diet, the dentist may instruct the avoidance of smoking, using a straw and brushing for at least 24 hours subsequent to this procedure. Ingesting hard food and not following after-care instructions can knock out the blood clot leading to the dry socket condition.

Following all of the after-treatment care instructions will improve comfort during the healing process. A patient should not hesitate in reaching back out to the dentist if there is excessive bleeding or if suffering from too much pain.

The dental professionals at the Offices of Dr. Heejoo Pyon, DDS, located near you on the Upper East Side of New York, are trusted and highly recommended in the areas of general and cosmetic dentistry. Modern and innovative technology is applied in all treatments and procedures.

Please contact the practice today where new patients are always welcome.