Removing your wisdom teeth is a common dental procedure, especially for people in their late teens or early twenties.
After the surgery, proper care is essential to ensure your mouth heals well. If you’re a smoker, you might be wondering if it’s okay to keep smoking after wisdom teeth removal with stitches.
The short answer is no.
Smoking is not recommended when you have stitches because it can slow down the healing process. This is due to the vasoconstrictive effects of smoking, which reduce blood flow to the area.
However, there are more complications.
Keep reading to learn why you should avoid smoking after wisdom teeth removal, how long you need to wait, and what other activities to avoid during recovery.
One of the biggest issues with smoking after wisdom teeth removal is that it can slow down healing.
Just like drinking soda or hot food, smoking interferes with your body’s ability to heal naturally, but worse.
Nicotine narrows blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the healing area and can make recovery take longer.
This can also mean more pain and a greater chance of problems like infections or a dry socket.
After a tooth is removed, a blood clot forms over the spot where the tooth was.
A dry socket is made when the blood clot gets knocked loose or dissolves too soon.
This exposes the bone and nerves underneath, causing a lot of pain and making recovery take longer.
Smoking is a big risk for dry socket because the sucking motion when you inhale can pull the blood clot out.
This can lead to:
Dry socket isn’t just a problem after wisdom teeth removal with stitches—it can also happen after dental implant surgeries with crowns, dental emergencies, or other types of tooth extractions.
Smoking weakens your immune system, making it harder for your body to fight infections.
After wisdom tooth removal, the risk of infection is higher because of the open wounds in your mouth, even with stitches there.
Cigarette smoke carries bacteria that can introduce harmful germs to the extraction site, which may lead to infections after surgery, causing more swelling, redness, or discharge from the area.
Patients who smoke after wisdom teeth removal often feel more pain and discomfort.
Nicotine and the act of smoking can irritate the healing area, making the spots around the stitches more sensitive.
Smokers might also have pain for a longer time compared to non-smokers, which can slow down recovery.
Even eating or brushing your teeth can become much more painful during this time.
After getting your wisdom teeth out, try to avoid smoking or vaping for at least 3 days—longer if you can.
The more time you give yourself before smoking again, the better your mouth will heal.
Experts recommend staying away from all nicotine products because they slow healing, reduce blood flow, and raise the risk of infection.
You should also avoid smoking anything, including herbal cigarettes, as it can irritate the area, delay healing, and increase the chance of dry socket or infection.
By day 3, it’s usually safe to smoke again, and by day 4, you should be feeling much better.
Smoking after wisdom teeth removal with stitches is a bad idea.
Wait at least 3 days (or longer) before smoking, avoid all tobacco-related products, rest, and stick to the right diet to help your recovery.
If you have questions or want to schedule a wisdom teeth removal, book an appointment with us here.
