If your tooth has been recently removed, you might wonder if the extraction area can get infected. Good dental care for your family in Burlington, ON, includes knowing the risks related to tooth extraction, which can be unavoidable sometimes. To protect yourself from infection following a tooth removal procedure, you must follow the aftercare instructions of your dentist.
Tooth extraction is often performed to remove seriously broken or decayed teeth. This is a straightforward procedure that does not have complications. Often, pulling your damaged teeth is beneficial to your oral and overall health. But you must know the possible risks that come with the procedure, like a bone infection.
Bone Infection Symptoms
Following a tooth extraction, minor bleeding and pain can be experienced. But these are just temporary. When the pain subsides, you can explore treatments to replace your missing tooth. While waiting to get a replacement, the gap created by the tooth you lost can be attacked by bacteria. These bacteria can spread to your jawbone and cause an infection. You will know you have a bone infection in the extraction site when you experience symptoms such as high fever, jaw swelling, bad breath, sour or bitter taste, fatigue, and pain.
How to Prevent a Bone Infection
You can prevent a bone infection when you take your doctor’s prescriptions as instructed. Also, you must maintain good oral hygiene, although you have to be careful when brushing your teeth near the extraction site. Your dentist may recommend that you don’t brush your teeth in the first fifteen hours after the procedure, so you don’t irritate the extraction site.
Treating Bone Infection
How your dentist will treat a bone infection depends on its extent. You may need to undergo oral surgery to clean the infected area. Sometimes, antibiotics may be enough to kill the bacteria. In case of a serious infection, bone graft surgery may need to be performed. This involves the use of transplanted bone for repairing and rebuilding the compromised bone.
Other Potential Complications Following Tooth Extraction
After tooth extraction, there is a possibility that you experience a painful condition called dry socket. This occurs because of dislodged or undeveloped blood clot in the empty socket of the extracted tooth. With a dry socket, you can experience serious discomfort and pain that can be managed with antibiotics and numbing medications. Following your dentist’s post-operative instructions is essential to prevent a dry socket from recurring.
