Alveolar Osteitis

Alveolar osteitis or, colloquially, a dry socket, is a complication of wound healing following extraction of a tooth. The term alveolar refers to the alveolus, which is the part of the jawbone that surrounds the teeth; osteitis means simply "bone inflammation". It is known as "dry socket" as after the clot is lost, the socket has dry appearance because of exposed bone. The blood clot helps in stopping the bleeding and lays framework for new tissues to develop there but in case of dry socket, the clot is dislodged and the bone is exposed. This bare bone is exposed to bacteria in the saliva and the food which the patient consumes and the bone becomes infected and painful.