Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of developing dry socket include:

• Smoking and tobacco use. Chemicals in cigarettes or other forms of tobacco may prevent or slow healing and contaminate the wound site. The act of sucking on a cigarette may physically dislodge the blood clot prematurely.
• Oral contraceptives. High estrogen levels from oral contraceptives may disrupt normal healing processes and increase the risk of dry socket.
• Improper at-home care. Failure to follow home-care guidelines and poor oral hygiene may increase the risk of dry socket.
• Having dry socket in the past. If you've had dry socket in the past, you're more likely to develop it after another extraction.
• Tooth or gum infection. Current or previous infections around the extracted tooth increase the risk of dry socket.