Waverly, AL
A 18-year-old female asked:
i had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted last friday and i'm a smoker. i was wondering if i'd be ok to smoke and not get dry socket? or a safe way to smoke
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Charles Kattuah answered
Dentistry 23 years experience
Wait a bit longer: Most cases of dry socket occur on the lower jaw and happen 3 to 5 days after an extraction. It has only been 3 days so give it a few more if you can. This might actually be a good opportunity for you to quit if you are thinking about it. There really is no safe way to smoke cigarettes, even if you haven't had oral surgery. However e-cigs may currently be the safest alternative.
4162 views
Dr. John Scuba answered
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 25 years experience
Smoking and healing: The answer is you smoke at your own peril. It greatly impairs healing, and the postoperative course is often stormy, but self inflicted. Unfortunately, the concern over "dry socket" is overblown--patients come away thinking it as an infection, which it isn't, and mismanaging it with "new" antibiotics and pain pills is the primary reason it often persists far longer than necessary.
3957 views
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Last updated Sep 2, 2020
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