Dental Conditions
Dry socket after extraction
A temporary healing complication that develops when the blood clot in an extraction socket is dislodged before healing is complete. Painful, common enough to be worth knowing about, and readily treated.
How to recognise it
The defining symptom is severe pain beginning two to four days after an extraction, often radiating to the ear, eye, or temple on the same side.
Dry socket pain is distinctly different from normal post-extraction discomfort. It is more intense, it starts after you had already begun improving, and crucially it does not respond to standard pain medication.
You may also see a visibly empty socket where the clot should be, and notice an unpleasant taste or odour.
Who is at higher risk
Smokers
Both the suction of inhaling and the chemical effect on healing raise risk substantially. This is the single largest factor.
Oral Contraceptive Users
Hormonal effects on clot stability are associated with a measurably higher incidence.
Complicated Extractions
Surgical extractions, particularly lower wisdom teeth, carry higher risk than straightforward removals.
Overall Incidence
Dry socket occurs in roughly 2 to 5 percent of extractions — uncommon, but not rare.
Treatment and prevention
Treatment is straightforward and relief is usually rapid: the socket is gently cleaned and a medicated dressing placed, then changed every few days until healing progresses normally.
Prevention comes down to protecting the clot in the first week. Avoid straws, smoking, forceful spitting, and vigorous rinsing — all of which create the suction or disturbance that dislodges it. Following your post-operative instructions closely is genuinely the whole of the prevention strategy.
Other conditions we treat
Concerned about your symptoms?
If pain is worsening several days after an extraction, call (905) 479-7777. This is quickly fixable.