Smoking And Oral Surgery

Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania are dedicated to encouraging patients to make the best decisions for their oral health.  We care for patient’s teeth and perform many procedures on patients with various grades of oral health.  Many patients are still smokers, and despite all the known health risks, it is a notoriously tough habit to break.  We have seen patients at every stage of quitting smoking when they need a dental procedure.  Even if you can’t quit just yet, it is important to abstain from smoking after a tooth extraction or procedure on the gums.

We want you to abstain from smoking after oral surgery as long as you can, but we recommend waiting at least five days for your safety.  The sucking action used to inhale a cigarette can dislodge a blood clot at the surgery site, which we would then call a dry socket.  A dry socket is a serious risk for infection and can cause intense pain.  Smoking also causes blood vessels to shrink, so they deliver less oxygen and fewer nutrients to the wound area and it slows the healing process.  We want you to quit cigarettes for good, but after oral surgery you must wait for your safety!

To learn more about oral health and all the services we provide, visit www.oralsurgerypa.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, call 215-463-4141.

Avoiding Dry Sockets

Extractions are one of our specialties at the Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania. We are well-versed in providing our patients with the information they need to avoid post-operation complications, most notably, dry sockets. But dry sockets are more likely following extractions which required incisions, so patients should know how to recognize them and when to ask for help.

Following an extraction, the patient is expected to experience some bleeding. This is a good thing. The clot is necessary for sealing off the socket and preventing it from drying out. If it does dry, the patient will experience great pain and be at risk of infection. For that reason, we need to know about all the medications a patient is on so we can plan what to do if any of them prevent clotting. Patients will also need to schedule appointments if their bleeding does not stop within twenty-four hours.

Patients should also not sip through straws or vigorously brush near the socket for seventy-two hours, as this may dislodge the clot. Empty sockets naturally close quickly, and the risk of dryness is greatest within forty-eight hours of the extraction. Patients who experience severe pain during that time or can actually see that the clot is not in place should also schedule emergency appointments so we may apply medicated wound dressing in the clot’s place.

Dr. Ramin Bahram operates the Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania at 2546 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19145. To schedule an appointment, call 215-463-4141 or visit OralSurgeryPA.com and fill out a contact sheet.