Risks and effects of smoking after dental procedures
Smoking after dental procedures delays healing, increases infection risk, and harms oral health. Prioritize recovery!

Smoking after dental procedures can interfere with the healing process and increase your risk of complications. This goes for routine dental work but is more prominent with surgical procedures, such as extractions, root canals, and implants. The longer you can postpone smoking, the better, but listening to your dentist’s instructions takes priority. This article explores the risks of smoking after different dental procedures, then explains the specific impacts smoking has on healing and when you can begin smoking with minimal risk of further issues.
Effects of smoking after dental procedures
Smoking exposes your teeth and gums to heat, and chemical irritants contained in cigarettes. This exposure directly impacts teeth and gums by causing additional inflammation and irritation. However, it can also reduce the flow of blood and nutrients to the area, slowing healing. It also weakens the immune system, making it easier for infections and other issues to arise.
Furthermore, smoking can accelerate other potential dental problems. It can dry out your mouth, reducing the saliva you need to help wash out bacteria. This facilitates plaque buildup, leading to gum disease and tooth decay.
Breakdown by treatment: smoking after dental procedures
Below are discussions of how smoking can impact your health and recovery after various dental procedures:
Smoking after a tooth extraction
Smoking after a tooth extraction could slow the healing process by reducing blood flow to the area due to blood vessel constriction, reducing the nutrients it receives. It can also cause a painful complication called dry socket when the blood clot in the extraction area is dislodged. Dry sockets can cause pain and increase your risk of infection.
Smoking after wisdom teeth removal
Like a regular tooth extraction, smoking after having your wisdom teeth removed can slow the healing process, increase your risk of dry socket, and raise the chance of an infection occurring. These effects may be magnified, however, since wisdom teeth surgical wounds can be larger and get more exposed to food when you eat. On top of that, tobacco can hamper your immune response, making you more susceptible to other illnesses.¹
¹Source: Henry Ford Health. (2024). How smoking affects your immune system.
Smoking after a root canal
Smoking after a root canal could reduce blood flow to the affected area, slowing healing. As mentioned, it also weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of further infections in other teeth or in the gums. The heat and chemicals in cigarette smoke can also irritate the area, leading to increased discomfort and a higher chance of post-operative complications.
Smoking after oral surgery
Smoking after oral surgery of any kind slows healing down, prolonging pain and discomfort while increasing your risk of infection and other complications. The immune response is once again impaired, which can only magnify the risk of infection and other issues. Whether it's a gum graft, dental implant, or other oral surgery procedure, abstaining from smoking for several days post-op is crucial.
The drawbacks of smoking for your oral health
Smoking poses other risks to oral health beyond those present immediately after oral surgery. Here are some general oral health drawbacks to smoking:
Slowed healing: Smoking slows healing by restricting blood and nutrient flow to the area and irritating the area with heat and chemicals.
Tooth decay and gum disease: Smoking can accelerate tooth decay and gum disease.
Bad breath: Smoking can cause halitosis, also known as chronic bad breath.
Tooth discoloration: Smoking can stain teeth yellow and brown.
Weakened immune system: Smoking weakens the immune system, increasing the chance of an infection or other sickness.
Bone loss: Smoking can potentially contribute to jawbone loss over time.
Oral cancer: Tobacco use is the leading cause of oral cancer.²
Schedule an appointment with Aspen Dental today to address your individual needs.
²Source: Oral Cancer Foundation. (n.d.). Risk factors.
FAQs for smoking after dental procedures
Has anyone smoked after a tooth extraction?
Yes, people do smoke after tooth extractions. However, it’s highly discouraged, especially immediately after the procedure. This is because smoking after an extraction can delay healing, lead to dry socket, and increase your risk of infection.
How many hours after oral surgery can I smoke?
Generally speaking, it is advised to wait at least 72 hours after oral surgery to smoke. However, longer is often better since it facilitates faster recovery. Speak with your dentist to address your individual needs.
Will smoking with gauze over the extraction site prevent a dry socket?
No, gauze alone will not prevent dry socket if smoking. The heat and suction can cause enough force to dislodge the blood clot and lead to dry socket. It is best to avoid smoking during recovery. The longer you can wait, the faster and better the extraction site will heal.
Does smoking after a tooth extraction guarantee that a dry socket will develop?
Smoking does not guarantee a dry socket but greatly increases the risk. The earlier you smoke after an extraction, the higher the risk of dry socket. Even if dry socket does not occur, nicotine slows healing, and the heat and chemicals will irritate the area.
Does vaping after a tooth extraction guarantee that a dry socket will form?
Vaping does not guarantee a dry socket to form, but it carries many of the same risks as smoking regarding tooth extractions and dry sockets. The suction will dramatically increase your chance of developing a dry socket, especially since people tend to use vapes much more constantly (and subject the clot to more suction) throughout the day than cigarettes.
Can vaping through your nose cause a dry socket?
Vaping through your nose carries less risk than through the mouth since pressure is not applied directly to the gums. However, the risk is still greater than if you abstain entirely from smoking and vaping. Vaping through the nose creates negative pressure in the mouth. Air moves from high to low-pressure areas. So, the higher pressure air below the clot pushes up from beneath the clot, increasing the risk of dislodging the clot.
How long after a tooth extraction is the risk of a dry socket forming minimized or negligible?
Your highest risk of dry socket occurs three to five days after the extraction. That’s why you should abstain from smoking even after three days post-procedure has ended. That said, complete recovery — and a minimal to nonexistent risk of dry socket — can take a couple of weeks for a regular tooth extraction. Wisdom tooth extractions can take longer than that.³
³Source: Medical News Today. (2024). Dry socket vs normal socket.
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