Why is it Bad to Smoke after Tooth Extraction?

Smoking is very bad for your health, and especially after your dentist has removed a tooth. Ideally, if you need to smoke, you must wait 48 to 72 hours after the surgery. If someone tells you to wait only 4 hours, do it at your own risk!

The reason you must wait is that smoking can slow down the healing process in your mouth, and even cause serious complications. The smoke has chemical toxins that not only harm your lungs but also your surgery site. Also, the suction done when smoking can dislodge the blood cloth from the socket it is in.

One major complication is called dry socket. It is a very painful condition around the tooth extraction site, which can cause bad smell and limit how big your open your mouth. It usually happens 3-4 days after the surgery. If you do nothing, it will eventually go away, but if you see a dentist, he can put a desensitizing drug to make it go faster.

In French: Pourquoi est-ce qu’il ne faut pas fumer après avoir enlevé une dent?

What Causes Sensitive Teeth?

It is such a burden to suffer from a sensitive tooth. It bothers during meals, while drinking something hot or cold, even sometimes while breathing air through the mouth.

There are many factors that can cause sensitive teeth:

• Brushing the teeth in a hard or strong way can wear out the enamel and cause tooth sensitivity.
• If the gum level recedes, due to gum disease or vigorous brushing, the root becomes exposed, making the tooth sensitive.
• A fracture of a tooth can expose the dentin.
• Cavities and tooth decay can of course cause the teeth to be sensitive.
• Grinding the teeth wears down the enamel.
• Tooth whitening products can cause a temporary sensitivity to the teeth.
• Certain mouthwashes are acidic and long term use can wear away the enamel of the tooth.
• Foods high in acid content, such as soft drinks, citric fruits, or ice-tea, wear out the enamel if consumed excessively.
• Recent dental treatments (fillings, cleanings, root canals or crowns) can cause sensitivity to the repaired tooth for a few weeks.

A severe tooth ache, that is constant and prevents sleep, can be the cause of more serious problems and should be checked by a dentist as soon as possible.

See also in french.

How to Stop Teeth Grinding

If someone suspects teeth grinding, either because the dentist noted it or the spouse complained about it, there are many ways to control it, depending on how severe the grinding is.

If the teeth grinding occurs during the daytime, it is possible to be conscious about it and try not to put the upper and lower teeth tightly against each other.

If it happens during the nighttime, these simple procedures can help for mild cases:

• Reduce stress.
• Reduce foods containing caffeine.
• Relax the chewing muscles in the evening by applying a wet and warm cloth to the face.

If all these don’t work, the dentist can fabricate a bite splint that should be worn at night. A bite splint is an acrylic appliance that is custom made for each person. It can be worn either on the upper teeth, or the lower teeth, which helps to prevent teeth grinding when it is well adjusted by the dentist.

See also in french.

When Can Someone Smoke after a Tooth Extraction?

Following a dental extraction, including the removal of wisdom teeth, a lot of people ask themselves when they can start smoking again.

After a tooth extraction, a blood cloth slowly forms in the hole left in the bone by the removed tooth. This blood cloth is the initial phase of the healing process. The blood cloth’s formation can be slowed down when a person smokes, either from the suction done during the smoking action, or from the chemical toxins that come from a cigarette. This can lead to complications such as a dry socket, which is a temporary and very painful condition that occurs when the blood cloth forms slowly.

It is therefore recommended to wait at least 48 hours before smoking after a dental extraction. Smoking is very bad for someone’s health and stopping completely is mostly recommended.

See also in French.