Wisdom Teeth Extraction and Smoking After
The average recovery time following a wisdom teeth extraction ranges from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on a few different factors. For example, it generally takes longer for the lower jawbone to heal than the upper jawbone does, and patients who are in overall good health tend to recover more efficiently than their less-healthy peers. Additional factors that can influence healing time include the number of teeth extracted, whether the teeth were impacted, the age of the patient, and whether any complications arose during surgery. In many cases, these aren’t factors that can be controlled by the patient, but there are multiple aftercare measures patients can take to ensure an efficient, painless recovery.
For the first 24 hours after wisdom teeth extraction, patients should avoid irritating the surgical sites in any way. This means abstaining from alcohol and hot drinks, avoiding chewing, and refraining from drinking through a straw or smoking. After the first 24 hours, relatively normal activity can resume, though patients should use caution to prevent dislodging the important blood clot that gradually covers the wound and encourages its healing. When this clot becomes dislodged, the result is a painful dry socket and an interference with healing. Certain activities pose a greater risk for dry socket, including swishing liquid in the mouth, spitting, sucking through a straw, doing strenuous exercise or heavy lifting, chewing food that’s hard or sticky, and smoking. Pain or discomfort can be managed with over-the-counter medications, and sticking with a soft, mild diet for the first few days helps relieve discomfort and protect the surgical sites from dry sockets.
One of the most damaging behaviors when it comes to wisdom teeth extraction is smoking. Tobacco and the chemicals found in cigarettes irritate the oral tissues, introducing infection and the possibility of oral diseases while damaging the teeth and gums. Because surgery increases susceptibility to infection, the oral tissues are even more vulnerable following a wisdom teeth extraction. Additionally, the sucking motion needed to smoke can dislodge the healing blood clot, creating a painful dry socket that leaves the nerves and soft tissues exposed to damaging chemicals and increases the risk of infection. To avoid this risk, if you are a smoker, it’s imperative that you refrain from smoking for at least 72 hours after healing. Ideally, smokers will use this time period as a platform to motivate quitting smoking entirely, aware that smoking creates health risks far more significant than dry sockets. Your dental team can help you learn about smoking cessation methods that have proven effective for other patients and may be able to help you curb your own habit, supporting both your oral health and your overall health for the long term.
Generally, the oral tissues are particularly vulnerable to infection for the first few days after surgery, with common symptoms that include pain and swelling in the mouth and face, mild difficulty or soreness when opening the jaw, bleeding in the mouth, and numbness or tingling in the mouth or face. After the first couple of days, swelling, pain, and bruising may increase before plateauing and then subsiding, with most patients reporting minimal, if any, swelling, pain, or bruising after the first week or so. When the wisdom teeth were impacted, which means they haven’t erupted fully from the gums, or if they are coming in at an unusual angle, this recovery time can be extended to about two weeks. Of course, these healing timelines are based on patients following recommended aftercare procedures, which include keeping the oral tissues clean and protecting them from outside irritants. Refraining from smoking is one of the best things you can do for your healing, whether after a wisdom teeth extraction or simply in general. Talk to your doctor or dentist today if you want to learn more about your options for quitting tobacco, and make sure you’re prepared to endure your recovery without indulging in this highly destructive habit.