Wisdom Teeth Extraction and Smoking After
There are different factors that contribute to the expected recovery timeline following wisdom teeth extraction, but recovery tends to take anywhere from three days to two weeks. During healing, complications might arise, but you can do your part to reduce the risk of these complications. One of the best ways to ensure healing is to avoid smoking after surgery. In addition to the many health issues smoking can lead to, smoking after wisdom teeth extraction can cause painful complications, increase the risk of infection, and interfere with effective healing. While no medical professional would ever recommend that a person smoke, it’s especially important to heed their recommendations and refrain from smoking or otherwise using tobacco while you heal from wisdom teeth extraction.
What Are the Risks of Smoking After Wisdom Teeth Extraction?
There are several clear risks of smoking following wisdom teeth removal. These include, but are not limited to:
- dry socket
- delayed healing
- increased risk of infection
- a more challenging recovery period
Dry socket:
One of the more painful complications of wisdom teeth extraction is dry socket, officially called alveolar osteitis. Following wisdom teeth extraction, a blood clot forms in the socket where a wisdom tooth once was, protecting the sensitive nerve endings and bone and contributing to healing. The aggressive sucking motion used in smoking can easily dislodge this vital blood clot or prevent it from forming in the first place, leaving nerves exposed. This condition is called a dry socket, and it’s intensely painful. Dry sockets also delay healing, sometimes by several weeks, and prompt dental attention is required if a dry socket forms.
Delayed healing:
The physical effects of smoking damage all the body’s systems. As nicotine reduces blood flow, less oxygen reaches the wisdom teeth extraction site, interfering with tissue regeneration and slowing down healing. Less efficient blood flow also means that fewer vital nutrients reach the extraction site, impeding healing, and the thousands of chemicals found in tobacco can also interfere with natural healing processes in a number of complex ways.
Increased risk of infection:
Any open wound in the mouth is prone to infection, and a wisdom tooth extraction site is no exception. The mouth is naturally teeming with bacteria, making wounds in the mouth particularly susceptible, and introducing the harmful substances and chemicals found in cigarettes can be a recipe for infectious disaster. These chemicals increase the risk of developing an infection after extraction, which can complicate healing and also lead to systemic health risks. If you’ve had your wisdom teeth extracted, keep an eye out for signs of infection, which include pus, swelling, pain, or fever, as infection can spread when neglected and could even be life-threatening.
Challenging recovery period:
Smoking tends to make symptoms that follow wisdom teeth extraction worse, even when dry sockets or infection aren’t present. This means prolonged bleeding, increased swelling, and more discomfort at the extraction site. Chemicals in smoke, along with the heat smoking introduces to the mouth, tend to irritate the sensitive oral tissues, increasing pain and prolonging recovery times. Added to the other risks that arise when people smoke, this compounds the length and difficulty of the recovery period. Most people recover from wisdom teeth extraction in around seven to 10 days, but this timeline can be extended, sometimes significantly, in smokers.
Following wisdom teeth extraction, avoiding smoking is one of the most powerful ways you can ensure a comfortable, expedient recovery timeline. Dentists recommend avoiding all types of smoking, of all substances, for at least three days after wisdom teeth extraction, but many dentists encourage people to use this mandatory break as an incentive to quit smoking entirely. Talk with your dentist if you’d like to devise a smoking cessation plan that uses your wisdom teeth extraction as a launching point. Quitting will help more than just your recovery and your oral health.