Wisdom teeth, as the latest teeth eruption in the human mouth, often bring us a lot of troubles, of which wisdom teeth dry slot is a more common and painful disease. Many patients who have experienced dry tooth grooves remember the unbearable pain. In order to better prevent and cope with wisdom tooth dry groove, it is very important to understand its causes. Next, we will delve into what causes the occurrence of wisdom teeth dry grooves.
The special physiological structure of wisdom teeth is an important basis
Wisdom teeth usually start to erupt around the age of 18 to 25, when the development of the human jaw is basically fixed, leaving space for wisdom teeth growth is often very limited. Most people’s wisdom teeth do not fully erupt normally, and this incomplete eruption has laid a hidden danger for wisdom teeth dry grooves.
Some emerging wisdom teeth are covered by a gum flap around the crown, forming a blind pocket that communicates with the mouth. Under normal circumstances, there are a lot of bacteria in the mouth, and the existence of blind bags provides an excellent place for bacteria to breed and multiply. Food debris tends to stay in the blind bag and is difficult to clean with normal brushing. Over time, bacteria multiply in the blind bag, causing inflammation such as pericoronitis. Inflammation will destroy the normal physiological structure and function of the surrounding tissue, making local tissue resistance decreased, increasing the risk of dry trough after wisdom tooth removal.
In addition, the root shape and position of wisdom teeth are also more complex. The number, length and curvature of the roots of wisdom teeth are different. Some roots are closely related to the inferior alveolar nerve, maxillary sinus and other important structures. In the process of wisdom tooth extraction, the complex root shape and position of the tooth will increase the difficulty of the operation. The long operation time and trauma will cause more serious damage to the alveolar socket, which is more likely to cause dry socket disease.
Tooth extraction trauma is a direct cause
The extraction process itself will cause a certain degree of damage to the alveolar socket, and for wisdom teeth, due to their special position and shape, extraction trauma is often greater. To remove wisdom teeth, doctors need to cut the gums, remove part of the alveolar bone, divide the tooth and other operations, which can damage the blood vessels and tissues in the alveolar socket. When the blood vessels in the alveolar socket break, a blood clot forms, which is the key to the normal healing of the extraction wound. Under normal circumstances, blood clots form a protective barrier in the alveolar socket, preventing outside bacteria from invading and providing the necessary environment for the wound to heal.
However, if the extraction trauma is too large, it will cause the blood clot in the alveolar fossa to be difficult to form stably or easy to fall off. For example, when removing an impacted wisdom tooth, it is necessary to cut the gum extensively and remove a large amount of alveolar bone, causing serious damage to the tissues around the alveolar fossa, resulting in more bleeding in the alveolar fossa and poor blood clot quality. In addition, excessive scratching of the alveolar socket and repeated efforts to prop the tooth during tooth extraction will also destroy the bone trabecular structure of the alveolar wall, affect the attachment of blood clots, and increase the incidence of dry groove disease.
In addition, too long extraction time is also an important factor. Prolonged surgical procedures expose the wound to the oral environment for a long time, increasing the chance of bacterial contamination. At the same time, long-term operation will lead to local tissue temperature rise, poor blood circulation, affect the normal healing process of the wound, and then lead to dry slot disease.
Oral bacterial infection is a key factor
The mouth is an environment full of bacteria, and under normal circumstances, the bacteria in the mouth are in a relatively balanced state, which will not cause obvious harm to oral health. But after the wisdom teeth are removed, the extraction wound disrupts this balance, creating conditions for bacteria to invade and multiply.
When the blood clot in the extraction wound falls off or is poorly formed, the bone wall of the alveolar fossa is directly exposed to the mouth and comes into contact with saliva that contains a lot of bacteria. Common bacteria in the mouth, such as Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, anaerobic bacteria, etc., will quickly invade the alveolar socket. These bacteria multiply in the alveolar fossa, produce toxins, cause inflammation of the bone wall of the alveolar fossa, lead to bone necrosis, and thus lead to dry socket disease.
Anaerobic bacteria, in particular, can grow and reproduce rapidly in the relatively anoxic alveolar environment formed after tooth extraction. The toxins they produce will destroy the tissue cells in the alveolar socket and affect the healing of the wound. Moreover, bacterial infection can also cause an inflammatory response in the surrounding tissues, leading to increased pain, swelling and other symptoms, further affecting the recovery of patients.
In addition, if the patient’s own oral health is poor, such as the presence of a large number of dental plaque, dental stones, or suffering from periodontitis and other diseases, the number of bacteria in the mouth will be significantly increased, the risk of infection after tooth extraction will be greatly increased, and it is easier to induce wisdom tooth dry slot disease.
The impact of the patient’s own medical condition
The patient’s physical condition also has an important impact on the occurrence of wisdom tooth dry groove. Some systemic diseases weaken the patient’s resistance, making the body less able to cope with tooth extraction trauma and bacterial infection. For example, in patients with diabetes, due to poor blood sugar control, the body’s immune function is impaired, and the chemotaxis and phagocytosis of white blood cells are weakened, making wound healing slow, prone to infection, and increasing the incidence of dry slot.
Long-term use of certain medications may also affect wound healing. For example, for patients who take anticoagulant drugs for a long time, the bleeding time after tooth extraction will be prolonged, and it is difficult to form a stable blood clot; Long-term use of glucocorticoids in patients can inhibit the body’s immune response and affect the normal healing process of the wound, thereby increasing the risk of dry slot disease.
In addition, the patient’s age is also a factor. With age, the body’s various functions gradually decline, and the tissue’s repair ability will also weaken. The elderly have a relatively high chance of dry slot after tooth extraction, because their alveolar bone is more osteoporosis, blood circulation is not as strong as that of young people, wound healing is slower, and they are more susceptible to bacterial infection, causing dry slot.
At the same time, the nutritional status of patients is also related to the occurrence of dry slot disease. Malnutrition, especially the lack of protein, vitamin C and other nutrients that are essential for wound healing, will affect the repair and regeneration of the tissues in the alveolar socket, delay wound healing, increase the chance of infection, and then lead to the occurrence of dry slot.
The role of bad living habits
Some bad living habits of patients may also induce wisdom tooth dry groove. Premature smoking after tooth extraction is a common risk factor. When smoking, negative pressure builds up in the mouth, and this negative pressure can cause the blood clot in the extraction wound to fall off. At the same time, harmful substances such as nicotine in tobacco will contraince blood vessels, reduce the blood supply in the alveolar socket, and affect wound healing. In addition, smoking also reduces the immune function in the mouth and increases the risk of bacterial infection, which is more likely to cause dry trough.
Vigorous exercise too soon after extraction is also not advisable. During intense exercise, the blood circulation of the body is accelerated, and the blood pressure is increased, which may cause the extraction wound to bleed again and destroy the blood clot that has formed. In addition, breathing is accelerated during exercise, and water evaporation in the mouth increases, making the oral environment dry, which is not conducive to wound healing, and also increases the possibility of dry trough disease.
In addition, do not pay attention to oral hygiene after tooth extraction, do not rinse mouth and brush teeth correctly according to the doctor’s instructions, resulting in food residues remaining in the mouth, a large number of bacteria breeding, will also increase the risk of infection, and then induce wisdom tooth dry slot.
Conclusion
The occurrence of wisdom tooth dry groove is the result of many factors. Understanding these reasons is of great significance for us to prevent and deal with wisdom tooth dry groove. Before and after wisdom tooth removal, patients should pay attention to maintain good oral hygiene, follow the doctor’s instructions, avoid bad habits, and actively treat systemic diseases to enhance body resistance to reduce the risk of wisdom tooth dry slot. If you unfortunately suffer from wisdom tooth dry grooves, you should seek medical attention in time to receive professional treatment to reduce the pain and promote the early healing of the wound.
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