Can I Smoke After Tooth Extraction?

If you’ve recently had a wisdom tooth extraction, you’re probably wondering about the dos and don’ts during recovery. A common question is whether it’s safe to smoke after this procedure. Find out why it’s important to give your cigarette habit a break after having a tooth extracted.

How Smoking Affects Your Teeth

Smoking has several detrimental effects on your oral health, including your teeth. It can cause yellow or brown stains, which are hard to remove. Smoking also increases the risk of gum disease, a leading cause of tooth loss. The chemicals in tobacco damage the gums, reducing their ability to support your teeth. Plus, smokers have a higher risk of developing oral cancer.

What Happens If I Smoke After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Following surgical tooth removal, your mouth is very delicate. As the extraction site heals over the next few days and weeks, smoking may prove detrimental in several ways.

Increased Risk of Dry Socket

One primary concern after a tooth extraction is the risk of developing dry socket. This painful condition happens when the blood clot at the surgery site becomes dislodged, exposing the bone and nerve. Symptoms of dry socket often last five to six days.

Your oral surgeon will advise against things as simple as sipping on soup or drinking from a straw because the sucking motion may dislodge the blood clot and cause dry socket. As you can imagine, smoking after wisdom teeth removal also increases this risk because a similar sucking action is involved.

Slower Healing Process

Smoking hinders the body’s healing process. When you smoke, your blood vessels constrict, reducing the flow of oxygen and essential nutrients to the wound area. Tobacco also damages cell tissues, prolonging your recovery time.

Additional Complications

Smoking post-extraction can lead to a range of complications that may hinder your recovery. Besides the risks already mentioned, smoking can:

• Increase the likelihood of infections due to your impaired immune system
• Cause bad breath and lead to an unpleasant taste in your mouth, affecting your overall oral hygiene
• Increase the risk of developing other dental problems, such as tooth decay and periodontal disease
• Lead to prolonged bleeding and slow blood clot formation at the extraction site
• Increase the chance for additional dental interventions

The Recommended Wait Time

You should wait at least 72 hours after a tooth extraction before smoking. This waiting period allows the blood clot to form and stabilize, reducing the risk of dry socket. However, the longer you can abstain from smoking, the better it is for your healing process. If you find it challenging to wait, rinsing your mouth with warm salt water after smoking offers some protection, but it’s not a foolproof solution.

What About Smoking with Gauze Over the Tooth Extraction Site?

If you’re a regular smoker and find it challenging to wait 72 hours after tooth extraction to light a cigarette, you may be wondering if smoking with gauze in place is a viable option. While this might seem like a good compromise, it’s important to understand that smoking with gauze over the extraction site does not effectively reduce the risks. The negative pressure created by the sucking action of smoking can still dislodge a new blood clot, even with gauze in place.

Besides, the chemicals in the smoke can penetrate through the gauze, still reaching the wound and hampering healing. The gauze itself may even become contaminated with toxins from the smoke, which then transfer to the extraction site and increase the risk of infection and other complications.

Consider Wisdom Tooth Extraction at Austin Oral Surgery

Recovering from wisdom tooth extraction isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a smoker. Choose Austin Oral Surgery for personalized advice on how to speed up the healing process. After over 50 years of providing superior, individualized oral care, our board-certified oral surgeons are highly qualified to perform tooth extractions and advise our patients on the fastest road to recovery. To discuss your oral health needs and get advice tailored to your situation, please schedule a consultation with us in Austin, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Lakeway, or any of our other 12 Central Texas locations.