When the dentist in Spring extracts tooth irrespective of whether it is an impacted wisdom tooth or a severely decayed molar, it leaves behind a small hole. This spot can be very sensitive and the dentists recommend socket preservation to go along with your extraction. It’s important to protect the socket after tooth extraction for many reasons.
Avoiding a Dry Socket
One of the reasons for protecting the socket is avoiding development of a dry socket. Dry socket can form if the blood clot protecting the healing area is knocked loose, exposing the nerve beneath it. It’s important to protect the socket as it preserves the bone, which surrounds the roots of the teeth in which they are attached to. The dentist will make sure that there is sufficient bone level to replace the removed tooth in future.
What Socket Preservation Does
There is a possibility for the bone, which previously supported the tooth to melt away once the tooth is removed as it doesn’t serve the purpose anymore. When the bone fades away, other teeth can move out of the alignment. This is why socket preservation is done at the time of tooth extraction itself. The socket preservation involves placing a bone graft into the socket.
Do You Need It?
The goal of socket preservation is improving the appearance of remaining teeth and gums and making the procedure of getting implants easier. Many dentists don’t offer the procedure at the time of tooth extraction as they may not consider it to be a valuable procedure.
However, some studies show that socket preservation helps in reducing horizontal or vertical changes in the alveolar ridge near the site of tooth extraction.
Care After Extraction
It’s important to take good care of the area around the socket as it’s important after tooth extraction. The dentist will suggest you to brush your teeth with an extra-soft toothbrush for at least a day after extraction. Smoking, eating hard foods and using a straw are not recommended for some days after the tooth extraction.
Socket preservation makes the recovery faster and retains your dental health.
