What Exactly Are Dentists Referring To When They Advise Not To 'Create Suction'?

Factual Questions
1

It seems to be relatively common for dentists to admonish their patients not to ‘create suction’ after having endured a bloody dental procedure such as a root canal or a wisdom tooth extraction. When they say this, what specific activities are they proscribing?

I understand that creating a partial vacuum inside your mouth after having had dental surgery could cause some bleeding, but I don’t know of any way to generate a vacuum sufficient to produce bleeding in your day-to-day activities. For example, it would only take a vacuum pressure of perhaps a foot of water to suck a beverage through a straw, which would only be about 1/32 atmospheric pressure. Surely this would not be enough to cause profuse bleeding.

So what do dentists really mean when they use this particular phrase? Could a dentist be slapped for a harassment suit for saying this??

Thanks.

2

A vacuum in your mouth after dental surgery can cause the blood clots that have formed in the surgery area to break loose, causing a condition known as dry socket.

The suction caused by drinking through a straw can be enough to set this off. Smoking is another leading cause of dry socket.