Chronic inflamation of the gums due to plaque also could be involved in the inflamation of the lining of the blood vessels that is known to lead to the build-up of plaque in the arteries, Hertzberg said. Lung infections in people with chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A weakened immune system that can slow wound healing and diminish a person's response to vaccines against hepatitis B and influenza. A higher risk of giving birth to premature, low-birth weight infants. If necessary, have bone implants to replace dental bone lost from periodontal disease, says researcher, Frank Scannapieco, State University of New York, Buffalo.
Bacteria reside in pockets caused by bone loss where the teeth are attached.
Women who use birth control pills are twice as likely to develop dry socket after a tooth extraction, reports the Academy of General Dentistry, an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing dental education. Dry socket, the most common post-operative complication from tooth extractions, delays the normal healing process and results when the newly formed blood clot in the extraction site does not form correctly or is prematurely lost. This blood clot lays the foundation for new tissue and bone to develop over a two-month healing process. But, for women who take oral contraceptives, their likelihood of developing a dry socket is twice as likely because of their increased estrogen level. A study recently published in General Dentistry, the clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, reports that women who take oral contraceptives experienced a 31 percent incidence of dry socket after molar extractions performed in the first 22 days of their menstrual cycle.