Dry socket treatments: Cures for dry sockets.

The focus of the protocol that a dentist follows when providing treatment for a patient who has a dry socket is usually only supportive and palliative. A dry socket is a situation where the extraction site's healing has been delayed. With time the extraction site will still go ahead and heal on its own, it will just take longer than it would otherwise. Dry socket treatments do not speed up the healing of the wound, they simply help to mitigate the discomfort the patient experiences while the (now prolonged) healing process takes place.

It's typical that the discomfort associated with a dry socket is difficult to control with analgesics (pain pills) alone (either non-prescription or prescription). Usually the best treatment solution involves returning to your dentist's office so they can wash out the extraction site and then place a medicated dressing into the socket.

The dressing that is selected for placement into the tooth socket will vary from dentist to dentist depending upon their previous experiences with different products. Some of the more common ingredients incorporated into dry socket dressings are eugenol (an extract of clove oil) and benzocaine (an anesthetic). Usually the dressing is changed (depending on the patient's comfort requirements) every 24 to 48 hours for 3 to 6 days. A patient can experience dramatic relief, even within an hour, once a dry socket dressing has been placed.

Don't be hesitant to seek treatment from your dentist for your dry socket.

All dentists know that the potential for dry socket formation always exists. And although there may be factors that can influence the incidence rate, a patient actually experiencing a dry socket is, to some degree, simply bad luck. A dentist also knows that cleansing and then placing a treatment dressing into the tooth socket can be an important factor in helping the patient manage the pain associated with their dry socket.

For both of these reasons, you'll probably find that your dentist is sympathetic to your cause and accommodating in providing you with assistance. They know that dry sockets, while certainly a disappointing complication associated with tooth extractions, always can and will occur and therefore they fully anticipate that some patients will be contacting them and require assistance with their dry sockets.