What Is Dry Socket and How Can I Prevent It?

While most people won’t experience any complications after having their wisdom teeth or any other tooth removed, about 3% of tooth extractions lead to dry socket. This severely painful condition results when a blood clot fails to form over or is dislodged from the removed tooth’s empty socket, resulting in the nerves, bone structure, and soft tissues therein being exposed to the stresses of the oral environment. Here’s what you should know about dry socket and how you can avoid it.