Smoking is bad for health. It affects the whole body system from the mouth to toe and is the mother of many diseases. If you are an avid smoker, then this line is no more than words for you. But even then, doctors suggest avoiding smoking to protect your teeth from the adverse effect of cigarettes, especially after tooth extraction. Here we will guide you when you can smoke after tooth extraction? This guideline is for the safety of your mouth, teeth, and health.
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When Can You Smoke After Tooth Removal?
After the tooth surgery or tooth extraction, you need to avoid smoking for more than 24 hours minimum or delay it for 48 hours (2 days) maximum. After the extraction, the main thing is the healing process of the tooth extraction wound. The more time you will give for blood clot formation, the sooner it will heal.
After three days, it will be hard to remove the clot so you can smoke then. This suggestion is for the safety of your teeth from infection or any such disease.
When Can You Smoke After Wisdom Teeth Removal?
Wisdom teeth extraction is more painful and complicated than the other tooth extraction, and it usually requires much time for healing. If you have extracted your wisdom teeth, then try to avoid smoke for a minimum of 3 days to a maximum of 5 days.
If you can make these days without having pain or any symptom of dry socket, you will soon make a healthy recovery. Everyone has a different wound healing system and requires discrete times for wound healing.
Therefore before smoking, concern your dentist, as he will guide you better according to your body’s healing system.
Reasons Behind Delaying Smoking After Tooth Extraction
For a regular smoker, it is not easy to delay smoking even after the tooth extraction. But as you know that cigarette contains many harmful chemicals.
- These chemicals delay the healing process, especially that of nicotine. Nicotine is irritating and will cause trouble after withdrawal of the tooth. Therefore doctors recommend avoiding smoking after tooth extraction for the long term. Smoking after tooth extraction has many adverse effects.
- Smoking is a sucking action, and sucking smoking after any tooth surgery will delay the healing process. The sucking of smoke loosens the clot form on the extraction area, and it scraps from its place. It will cause bleeding from the wound, and the lesion will soon get an infection. The infected wound will cause bad breath in your mouth and pain.
- The exhaling smoke action will dislodge the blood clot, and you may get a dry socket due to this. A dry socket is a painful and uncomfortable condition in which bones and nerves are exposed after the clot removal from the wound. The pain radiates throughout the jaws, and you will not be able to open your mouth for eating and drinking. Likewise, use a straw for drinking has the same effect during the healing time.
- The chemicals in the cigarette smoke irritate the gums around the extraction site. So if you will do smoking after tooth surgery, it will cause swelling and inflammation in the gums.
Recommended readings:
5 Recovery Tips After Your Wisdom Teeth Removal
Dry socket and How long does Dry socket last
