Food particles in empty tooth sockets?!
Question:
Food particles in empty tooth sockets?
If a food particle was to get lodged in an empty tooth socket from a tooth extraction, while you still had stitches in place, would it keep socket from healing over after the stitches were removed, until after the food particle came out?
Answers:
Sutures usually offer some help at keeping food from getting trapped in the extraction site since they hold the tissue together loosely. But by the second day you should be rinsing well and frequently with warm salt water to cleanse the site of any debris that may have become lodged in the crevices, this is what we count on keeping it clean with. By the third day you can "vigorously" swish with the warm salt water which is much better at removing anything trapped there.
As for your question, yes, trapped food would keep the tissue from healing over (and cause a pretty nasty infection) before and after the sutures are removed. This is the reason we ask that you rinse well with the warm salt water after eating any food items or drinking anything other than water.
Hope I've been of some help and that answered your question. If it's you that has had extractions, or are having them soon, then good luck and follow your dentist advice thoroughly.