The Mouth-Body Connection So, how do bacteria commonly found in the mouth lead a blood clot? The answer is that bacteria found in the mouth can leach into the bloodstream through wounds caused by trauma or dental procedures such as extractions or root canals.
A blood clot will form in the tooth socket after the extraction. The clot protects the bone during healing. If that blood clot gets loose or comes out of the socket, you may have a dry socket, which exposes the bone.
Blood Clots Protect the Wound
A blood clot will start to form right after your surgical procedure as blood cells called platelets clump together with a sticky protein called fibrin. This clotting can occur for the next 24 hours to stop the bleeding and protect your nerves and bone from infection and irritation.
What may start as a small infection somewhere in your tooth can eventually spread its way through your body and cause sepsis or septic shock. When sepsis occurs, it can create blood clots or damage to blood vessels, compromising your organs.
After a tooth extraction, you should develop a blood clot in the socket (hole) that's left behind. It'll look like a dark-colored scab. But if you have a dry socket, the clot will be absent and you'll be able to see bone. For this reason, dry sockets usually appear white.
The first 24 hours - The first 24 hours after extraction are important, as this is when a blood clot will start to form at the extraction site. Blood clots are vital to your healing and protect your bone and nerve tissue.
24 to 48 hours after surgery
This blood clot helps keep the hole free of food particles and bacteria. It is a necessary first step towards healing and allows gum tissue and bone to start forming. It won't be visible to your eye, but new gum tissue has already started to form in the hole.
Normally, a blood clot forms at the site of a tooth extraction. This blood clot serves as a protective layer over the underlying bone and nerve endings in the empty tooth socket. The clot also provides the foundation for the growth of new bone and for the development of soft tissue over the clot.
If this same bacterium enters your bloodstream through gums that are bleeding, it can lead to blood clots. The article states, “Streptococcus gordonii is a normal inhabitant of the mouth and contributes to plaque that forms on the surface of teeth.
Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) resulting from trauma is an important cause of stroke in otherwise healthy people with no known stroke risk factors. The average annual incidence of VAD is 1.0–1.1 per 100 000. Dental procedures that involve prolonged neck posturing may cause VAD.
Normal Bleeding: It is not unusual to notice slight bleeding or oozing from the surgical site for one or two days after the surgery. If at any time you notice the formation of large blood clots or an obvious flow of blood, notify your doctor at once.
So, it's essential to try to reduce your risk of developing blood clots after surgery. According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, even when you take the right steps to reduce the risk of blood clots, you have about a 3% chance of developing DVT and a 1.5% chance of developing PE.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is not free of risk of DVT, which can cause fatal acute pulmonary thromboembolism. Therefore we have to assess the patient for risk of thromboembolism and proper prophylaxis has to be done to prevent DVT in individual with risk.
It is important to start treatment right away for DVT. It takes about 3 to 6 months for a blood clot to go away.
Red, swollen, and tender gums. Bleeding when brushing or flossing. Gums that have receded away from teeth. Pain when eating or chewing.
“Poor dental hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, providing bacteria with an escape route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease.”
Bleeding: You may notice some blood clotting between your teeth for 24-48 hours following SRP, this is normal. You may rinse with warm water, salt water, brush or floss to remove. DO NOT however use fingernails, toothpicks etc.
Certain activities can easily dislodge the blood clot, causing what's known as a dry socket. If this blood clot is dislodged after a wisdom teeth extraction, it won't reform and your body will lose its ability to heal from your oral surgery on its own. You will need intervention from the doctors in our Pasadena office.
What Does a Blood Clot Look Like?: Blood clots can form anywhere in the body, such as the leg, lung, brain, heart, and stomach or intestines. Blood clots may look red and swollen, or like a reddish or bluish skin discoloration. Other blood clots may not be visible in the skin.
The usual presentation is of a large blood clot that forms over the tooth socket without actually stopping the bleeding. This leads to a red, jelly-like mass, which gradually increases in size as the socket continues to ooze blood underneath it.
(First 24 hours post-op) Avoid eating or drinking for the first hour after your surgery (with the exception of liquids needed as an aid with taking medication). Over the following 24 hours, drink plenty of fluids so you stay properly hydrated.
Keeping your mouth clean after oral surgery is essential. Keep using warm salt-water rinses to rinse your mouth at least 2-3 times daily for the next seven days.