dry socket, an inflamed condition of a tooth socket (alveolus) after a tooth extraction. The socket is not actually dry but is filled with a degenerating, infective blood clot. Normally a blood clot forms over the alveolar bone at the base of the socket after an extraction. If the clot fails to form properly or becomes dislodged, bone tissue and nerve endings are exposed to the oral environment and can become infected, a usually painful condition. Analgesics, applied topical sedatives, and drainage are required, in addition to treatment with local or systemic antibiotic therapy to cure the infection. See also alveolitis.
