About Extractions

X-Rays Help Predict Permanent Bone Damage from Bisphosphonates

Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis and those undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs containing bisphosphonates. These drugs have been found to place people at risk for developing osteonecrosis

Dry Sockets

Dry socket, the most common postoperative complication from tooth extractions, delays the normal healing process and results when the newly formed blood clot in the extraction site does not form correctly or is prematurely lost. The blood clot lays

How to Prevent Dry Socket

"Stop smoking for at least 24 hours after wisdom-teeth extractions. This is critical to preventing dry socket," says AGD spokesperson E. Mac Edington, DDS, MAGD, ABGD. Smoking decreases the blood supply to the protective blood clots, brings toxic products

When to Remove Wisdom Teeth

The following symptoms may indicate that the wisdom teeth have erupted and surfaced, and should be removed before they become impacted, in other words, the teeth have surfaced and have no room in the mouth to grow. However, each individual may experi

Who Is at Risk for Dry Socket?

"Women have a greater chance than men to develop dry socket," says Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) spokesperson Barbara A. Rich, DDS, FAGD. "But, for women who take oral contraceptives, their likelihood of developing a dry socket is twice as likely