Alveolar osteitis, or "Dry Socket", is more painful than the extraction itself in most cases, when it occurs. Extracted teeth take weeks to fully heal, depending on the size of the extraction site. And they heal by a different method than a cut (side-to-side vs. from the bottom to the top).  By placing a "Dry-Socket Barrier" in the site at the time of extraction, our office provides a scaffolding for blood vessels to grow into and form bone. It also helps protect the nerve underneath and the sinus for upper teeth.