Alveolitis. Ref.: 68

After a dental extraction, the bed on which the roots of the tooth were seated, called alveolus, is exposed and a blood clot forms on it, thus generating the first stages of healing and protecting the nerve endings of the empty dental cavity.
Occasionally, this clot may not form due to various factors, or it may disappear due to contamination by food debris or smoking during this healing phase.
This produces a process called alveolitis. As the nerve endings are exposed, intense pain is generated in the area, which normally appears during the first 3 days after a dental extraction.
The main treatment is symptomatic with pain medication. It is also important to eliminate food debris by irrigating the area with saline. Curettage of the alveolus may be indicated to decontaminate the bone surface and provoke bleeding so that a new clot can form.