Why Smoking After Tooth Extraction is a Big No-No

When you smoke, the heat and chemicals cause harm to your teeth, gums, and soft tissues in the mouth. Therefore, smoking can result in the inflammation of gums, which increases the production of “cytokines.” This means being a smoker increases your risk of periodontal disease, which could also raise the possibility of tooth extraction. Moreover, if you have wisdom teeth, they collect bacteria. Since smoking introduces nicotine to your mouth, it reacts with bacteria and causes lasting damage.

In short, smoking leads to gum disease and advanced tooth decay, which can affect your overall oral health. This is why you might need a tooth extraction if you smoke.

Once your tooth has been removed, the affected region will require proper time and care to heal fully. Your oral surgeon will provide you with the essential aftercare instructions to allow the extraction site to have a safe and quick recovery.

Your mouth is quite delicate following tooth removal, and a healthy blood clot formation can kickstart safe recovery. The extraction wound takes time to heal with the help of special cells called fibroblasts as bone creation begins. However, smoking after tooth extraction can have a significant impact on recovery.

Your blood pressure increases when you smoke, which can result in bleeding and dizziness. Furthermore, tobacco damages the cell tissues, while smoking interferes with the proper healing of the extraction socket. Your blood brings nutrients and oxygen to the extraction site, but smoking after tooth extraction can decrease the amount. Simply put, you will experience pain much longer if you smoke after tooth extraction. And since it slows the healing process, smoking also increases the possibility of infection.

To summarize, you can face the following complications if you smoke after tooth extraction:

• High blood pressure
• Slow healing process
• Increased risk of an infection
• Dry socket
• Dizziness

Undergoing the tooth removal procedure is not a pleasant experience; hence, fats and safe recovery are necessary. Generally, dentists recommend waiting around 3 days or 72 hours to smoke after tooth extraction. This is because the longer your wait, the better and faster your body will be able to heal. The best approach is to avoid smoking until you can see your gums healing in the mirror or get your dentist’s approval.

The reason dentists recommend waiting three days is to prevent a dry socket. Blood clot takes time to develop after extraction, and giving it three days can help. Because when the clot forms, healing begins.

Did you recently have a tooth extraction procedure, and now you’re wondering when it is okay to smoke again? To answer, waiting 3 days or 72 hours is recommended by dentists. Still, you can consult your oral surgeon on when you can smoke after tooth extraction.

At ACE Dental of Bellmead, we perform a wide range of painless and effective dental procedures, including tooth extraction procedures. Contact us now at (254) 276-8800 to get started. You can also chrome visit us at 901 North I-35 Frontage Road Bellmead, TX 76705.