Worried about bacteria

[beastyyeer]

Hi, I have just had a tooth removed and im quiet worried about bacteria getting into the socket, is there anything I can do to stop this from happening????
I had it pulled out two days ago and its started to clot but I just worry a lot everytime I eat or drink something that its going to fill up with germs and get infected. Do you think strong mouthwash would be a good idea in my case?

I have a problem with bacteria on a daily basis as its something I get nervous about. The dentist said I would be fine but im still thinking about it constantly when trying to work, sleep and eat. Just to be clear im not in pain, im just concerned about the thought of bacteria getting into my system through the open socket. Is infection a big problem? Thanks.

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

If you are worried about bacteria getting into the socket of the tooth or the gum around it, then may be it is better for me not to tell you about the many many different type of natural bacteria that exist in your mouth all the time. Some can be problematic and some are very much needed.

You cannot stop bacteria from getting into the socket and you should not worry about that. However as you correctly have mentioned it is important to try to preserve the blood clot that formed after tooth removal in the socket. This reduces the risk of getting secondary infection and helps the healing of the socket.