Drs. Garrett, Blundell, Hanley, Clyburn, Black, or Wiley offers a number of dental treatments that can keep your mouth healthy and your smile beautiful. Contact us today!
The term “dry socket” refers to a condition called alveolar osteitis which is a premature breakdown of the blood clot present in an extraction site. Smoking, poor oral hygiene, and over-exertion in the post-operative period can contribute to this condition, but sometimes there is no obvious cause.
Typically, a “dry socket” presents itself 3-5 days after the surgery with increased pain, foul odor and taste, and bad breath. This condition is very easily treatable and requires that we wash out the socket and place a medication dressing. This provides pain relief usually within an hour after placement. These medicated dressings typically are replaced every 2-3 days in our office until the condition subsides in one to two weeks.
If you are experiencing symptoms consistent with a “dry socket,” the best solution is to call our office when it opens in the morning at 8:00am so that we can arrange to have you seen that day for treatment.
There are several causes of post-operative nausea and vomiting.
First, if you were sedated with IV medications, nausea is a side-effect of nearly all the medications used for sedation. The best treatment is to start out with clear liquids (water or Gatorade) on the day of the surgery. The goal is to maintain good hydration in order to prevent dehydration.
After holding down clear liquids for several hours without nausea, your diet can progress to soft foods. Dairy products (milkshakes) are not the best food on the day of the surgery and may contribute to nausea and vomiting.
Second, the narcotic pain medication is also a major culprit for causing post-operative nausea and vomiting. The best treatment is prevention by using a non-narcotic medication (like ibuprofen), and only using narcotic if it is absolutely necessary for pain control. If you find that you are experiencing nausea within an hour after taking a narcotic pain medication, simply stop taking the medication or take a smaller dose (cutting pills in half) if the non-narcotic medication is not sufficiently controlling your discomfort.
Third, and most importantly, dehydration is a cause of post-operative nausea and vomiting. Again, the best treatment is prevention. Clear liquids are very important in maintaining an adequate level of hydration. If you are simply not able to hold anything down and your condition is worsening, call us for assistance. If you are diabetic and are experiencing post-operative nausea and vomiting, strict blood sugar control is vital post-operatively.Yes, in most instances, the stitches are placed at the time of surgery simply to assist with initial control of bleeding and clot formation. This is especially true with wisdom tooth surgery and other tooth extractions. Thus, loss of a stitch is not considered an emergency, even if it occurs on the day of surgery.
If your surgeon has performed a bone-grafting procedure and the stitches are coming out prematurely, please contact our office so that the doctor may determine whether or not you need to be seen on that day.We cannot allow more than the patient alone into the surgical area. Under HIPAA, there is a need to maintain patient’s privacy, therefore only the surgical staff and the patient are allowed in the surgical area. There are also multiple procedures occurring and there is no “waiting area” in the surgical suite.
If there is a medical/legal necessity to have someone with the patient, please include this information in the initial exam so preparations can be made.