How common are dry sockets birth control?

Women who used birth control developed dry socket 13.9 percent of the time, while women who were not taking birth control only developed the condition 7.5 percent of the time. However, researchers did determine that women developed dry socket more often than men overall.

Can birth control affect tooth extraction?

Women who use birth control pills are twice as likely to develop dry socket after a tooth extraction, reports the Academy of General Dentistry. Dry socket, the most common post-operative complication from tooth extractions, delays the normal healing process.

Why does estrogen cause dry socket?

Estrogen. Elevated levels of estrogen increase the risk of a dry socket. Thus, you face a high risk of a dry socket if you are female or you are on estrogen medication (such as oral contraceptives). The theory is that the estrogen interferes with the normal healing process and prevents blood clotting.

What are the warning signs of dry socket?

Symptoms of dry socket include:

• intense pain a few days after surgery.
• visibly empty socket with missing or partially missing blood clot.
• pain that radiates from the socket into the rest of your face and head.
• bad breath or foul odor in your mouth.
• visible bone in the socket.

Should I stop taking birth control to avoid dry socket?

Women who take a contraceptive pill that contains estrogen have a higher risk of developing dry socket than the average person. However, there are ways to reduce this risk. Your dentist may ask you to stop taking your pill for a few days before your wisdom teeth removal.

Why does birth control make dry socket more likely?

Oral contraceptives contain estrogen, which appears to prevent clotting, which would keep the socket from being sealed. Oral contraceptives also appear to lower a woman’s pain tolerance level, which will make her more susceptible to pain associated with this condition.

Do I have to stop taking birth control before wisdom teeth removal?

Your dentist may ask you to stop taking your pill for a few days before your wisdom teeth removal. If you take a break from your pill each month to have your period, you could have the extraction carried out then.

Can I take my birth control after wisdom teeth removal?

LONDON – Oral contraceptives increase the risk of infection and pain following the removal of wisdom teeth, according to new research.

Will dry socket heal itself?

In most cases, dry socket will heal on its own, but as the site heals patients will likely continue to experience discomfort. If you do choose to treat dry socket at home, you need to clean the wound with cool water, irrigate the socket with saline, and keep gauze over the socket.

When can I stop worrying about dry socket?

Typically you can stop worrying about the dry socket after 7-10 days because this is the amount of time that gums take to close. However, everyone heals at their own time, depending on age, oral health, hygiene, and other factors.

Why is dry socket more common in females?

Women are 20% more likely than men to get dry socket. This is most likely due to estrogen, a female hormone. Women who take oral contraceptives, which contain estrogen, are more susceptible to dry socket than men. Estrogen may increase the risk of getting the condition.

Does birth control affect anesthesia?

medications given during anesthesia and surgery can decrease the effectiveness of these birth control methods. If you are using oral or implantable contraceptives you should consider alternative methods of birth control during this cycle.

Do birth control pills cause dry sockets?

According to the cover story of the June 2016 Journal of the American Dental Association, a medical journal for dentists, women on the Pill are almost twice as likely to develop dry sockets as women not using hormonal contraceptives (13.9% vs. 7.5% respectively).

What is a dry socket and how do you treat it?

A dry socket occurs when the blood clot dissolves before the wound heals (1). Treatment of dry sockets can include pain relievers (both over the counter and prescription) as well as frequent cleansing and in-office dressing of the socket (s) to promote healing.

What increases the risk of dry socket?

Overall, smoking increased the risk of dry socket by 9.8 percent, while birth control raised the risk for women by 7.6 percent. One of the primary challenges of this type of research was that the majority of studies failed to record the type birth control and the amount of estrogen study participants were taking.

Does estrogen play a role in dry socket?

Even though dry socket ranks as the most common complication from having a tooth extracted, the role that estrogen plays in the development of the condition remains relatively unclear.