Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The most common location of dry socket: in the socket of an extracted mandibular third molar (wisdom tooth). Since alveolar osteitis is not primarily an infection, there is not usually any pyrexia (fever) or cervical lymphadenitis (swollen glands in the neck), and only minimal edema (swelling) and erythema (redness) is present in the soft tissues surrounding the socket.
There is evidence that use of antibiotics before and/or after impacted wisdom tooth extraction reduces the risk of infections by 66%, and lowers incidence of dry socket by one third. For every 19 people who are treated with an antibiotic following impacted wisdom tooth removal, one infection is prevented. [19]
Socket preservation or alveolar ridge preservation is a procedure to reduce bone loss after tooth extraction. [1] [2] After tooth extraction, the jaw bone has a natural tendency to become narrow, and lose its original shape because the bone quickly resorbs, resulting in 30–60% loss in bone volume in the first six months. [3]
After extraction of a tooth, the clot in the alveolus fills in with immature bone, which later is remodeled into mature secondary bone. Disturbance of the blood clot can cause alveolar osteitis, commonly referred to as "dry socket". With the partial or total loss of teeth, the alveolar process undergoes resorption.
Tooth #5, the upper right second premolar, after extraction. The two single-headed arrows point to the CEJ, which is the line separating the crown (in this case, heavily decayed) and the roots. The double headed arrow (bottom right) shows the extent of the abscess that surrounds the apex of the palatal root.
Infection resulting from impacted wisdom teeth can be initially treated with antibiotics, local debridement or surgical removal of the gum overlying the tooth. Over time, most of these treatments tend to fail and patients develop recurrent symptoms. The most common treatment for recurrent pericoronitis is wisdom tooth removal.
A study used e-PTFE membranes to cover surgically constructed average size bone defects in the mandibular angles of rats. Consequently, the e-PTFE membrane acted as a barrier to soft tissue and sped up bone healing, which took place between 3–6 weeks while no healing occurred in the non-membrane control group during a 22 week period. [16]
The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines recommend the use of flexible, non-rigid splints for a short duration by stating that both periodontal and pulpal healing is encouraged if the traumatised tooth is allowed slight movement and if the splinting time is not too long.