(This phrase acts like a noun. It is the direct object of the verb stopped. This phrase is a gerund phrase.) I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (This phrase acts like a noun. It is the subject of the adverbial clause when my mother took me to see him in a department store.) I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.  It is the object of the preposition for.)
I recently had a tooth extraction on tooth #31. ...I developed a blood clot that currently has a whitish in color appearance. ...Isn't a dry socket a painful condition caused when you lose your blood clot....
After a tooth is extracted a blood clot forms in the tooth socket and seals the area so that it can heal. A dry socket occurs during the first five days after extraction, when the blood clot breaks down or is dislodged, it exposes the bone and nerves of the tooth. Only 2 to 5% of people will develop a dry socket.