Do you know how long I should wait, or what would be the best way for me to smoke without getting dry sockets? I’m only slightly swollen today and off painkillers. Also, if I smoke before the operation to calm my nerves, will it affect the anesthesia?
Thomas D.
I know from experience that wisdom teeth removal can be a painful experience! Great care must be taken with oral hygiene to aide the healing process and to avoid the “dry sockets” you mentioned. Be careful with alcohol based tinctures (they can be irritating), and with anything you put into your mouth during the healing process. The “cotton-mouth” that many people experience with cannabis may also have some detrimental effects, so be sure to maintain an adequate moisture level in your mouth. I might suggest using a vaporizer (with pursed lips you should be able to avoid excessive vapor coming into contact with the healing tissue), or an infused honey, or easily ingested liquid/drink. Although not yet a reality, cannabis may soon be administered as a vapor through a nasal canula.
Andrew Vanmd
My husband just had 1 of his wisdom teeth pulled and he used 1/4 (12.5mg) of the Trokie CBD 50mg lozenge, once or twice a day. He placed a 1/4 of the lozenge between his upper gums and cheek (called buccal absorption) where the tooth was pulled. Not only did the pain melt away in about 30 minutes, but the CBD also has a natural numbing effect. The buccal absorption allows for most of the medicine to get absorbed right into the blood stream, missing the first pass metabolism of the Liver, so you end up getting more of the active ingredient CBD.
Dorea
I think it would help you greatly but to stop pain and calm your fear. You should start ahead of time if possible but if not possible use a vape pen of AC/DC, Harlequin or Cannatonic.
Why do we have pain, anxiety and fear? Because we imagine the worst, so stop that.
Let your wisdom teeth go, don’t fight to hold them in, imagine that your teeth are sitting in soft butter and they slide right out. If you think a little buzz will help you be sure to have someone drive you to and from the dental office and use a CBD: THC @ 2:1 OR 1:1. You might be on larger doses of CBD at bedtime just stop all the inflammation and support your immune system and calm your fears. Don’t imagine the worst, Imagine that you made it through in five minutes and everything went perfect and easy and I likely will happen that way.
Do not mentally resist the procedure but if you realize that you are resisting maybe you shouldn’t have it done. Any time we resist what our body is trying to communicate to us we will experience more anxiety, which leads to fear, which translates to pain. Have that talk with yourself, do you really want to have this done? If is yes, be happy you’re having it done and let it occur easily. You have much more control than you know but do not do high doses of THC like Sativa because you can flip yourself out with anxiety on Sativa or hi THC. Stick with CBD since it will help stop pain, inflammation & anxiety.
Dr Olson
The general rules is to wait at least five days after your procedure. Patients undergoing oral surgery are advised to avoid smoking (whether of cigarettes or cannabis) because the sucking action can dislodge the blood clot that forms over the surgery site and lead to dry socket. Dry socket is an infection that can occur in the empty tooth socket, leaving the the nerve and bone exposed to air, food, and bacteria in your mouth. It is extremely painful (I experienced it firsthand and can attest to this!) and typically involves an emergency trip to your oral surgeon to have the site flushed, and then a course of antibiotics, and prescription pain killers as needed. Smoking also decreases blood flow to the gums, which slows the healing process.
Finally, the dry mouth you experience when smoking cannabis is something that negatively impacts your gum health. A recent study in New Zealand examined habitual cannabis smokers over a 20 year period and found that the one risk of this behavior was an increased rate of gum disease, regardless of hygiene, and other socio-demographic factors. Researchers believe that one reason for this is the lack of saliva to flush out bacteria from the gum tissues. When you do resume smoking cannabis after your post-surgical hiatus, make sure you are drinking lots of fluids to compensate for decreased saliva production.
Ashleigh
Hi!
I recently had my upper wisdom teeth removed and I was very honest with my dentist regarding my cannabis consumption.
He informed me that healing time varies by each patient, but typically you want to avoid smoking (cannabis or tobacco) from 7-14 days to prevent bacteria or opening of the wounds. It is also important to keep your mouth moisturized to prevent dry sockets, so avoid smoking to prevent “cotton mouth”!
My dentist also informed me that alternatives to smoking cannabis – edibles, patches, and tinctures – should not impact the healing process. Transdermal patches can be used for pain relief and are not consumed orally. Tinctures can be easily ingested by placing a few drops under your tongue. Personally, to tame my wisdom teeth pain, I found relief with drinkable edibles! Smoking is my preferred method of marijuana consumption, but to avoid issues with my extraction, I would enjoy cannabis-infused lemonade in the day, and cannabis tea in the evening to help me sleep. If you decide to use edibles, you’ll want to avoid anything hard or sticky, as chewing will be difficult for the first week or so. That said, if you decide to use an edible or tincture after wisdom teeth removal, make sure you remember to rinse your mouth with warm water and salt to prevent an infection.
As for consuming cannabis PRIOR to your wisdom teeth surgery, please avoid smoking as increased production of stupum could occur making your surgery more difficult.
Hope this information helps!
Veronica B
Hello,
This is a very good question! Due to the seriousness of the situation, it is best to be cautious when combining any cannabinoid with local anesthesia. Definitely consult a doctor!
There are a few articles online that talk about cannabis building a tolerance to anesthesia for a patient, not something you want happening during surgery.
While established practices for cannabis and general anesthesia are not in place yet, other people have asked similar questions. Take a look here
Atkanesh
- I know from experience that wisdom teeth removal can be a painful experience! Great care must be taken with oral hygiene to aid the healing process and to avoid the “dry sockets” you mentioned. Dry socket is a painful dental condition that sometimes happens when a tooth, including a wisdom tooth, is extracted. It occurs when the blood clot at the site of the tooth extraction fails to develop properly, or is dislodged before the wound is healed.
After a wisdom tooth extraction, you might be tempted to reach for some cannabis to smoke to relieve the pain. But generally dentists recommend you don’t smoke tobacco or cannabis right after surgery, waiting a minimum of 72 hours before partaking.
One dentistry site recommends waiting as long as possible before smoking because it can “have a direct negative effect on the healing process after an invasive tooth extraction. It can even slow down healing by pushing you back to the beginning of the healing cycle.”
The general rule is to wait at least five days after your procedure. Patients undergoing oral surgery are advised to avoid smoking (whether of cigarettes or cannabis) because the sucking action can dislodge the blood clot that forms over the surgery site and lead to dry socket.
Also be careful with alcohol-based tinctures (they can be irritating), and with anything you put into your mouth during the healing process.
Even so, some cannabis oils could play a role in the healing process, reducing pain and inflammation.
Inflammation is just your body’s immunity defense, protecting it against harmful stimuli and enabling the healing process to begin. Both cannabidiol (CBD) and the terpene beta-caryophyllene may play a role in reducing inflammation, whether it is a short-term condition, like a wisdom tooth extraction, or a recurring, chronic condition.
The “cotton mouth” that many people experience with cannabis may also have some detrimental effects, so be sure to maintain an adequate moisture level in your mouth. I might suggest using a vaporizer (with pursed lips you should be able to avoid excessive vapor coming into contact with the healing tissue), or an infused honey, or easily ingested liquid/drink.
As far as smoking before getting anesthesia to calm your nerves, I’m glad it worked out for you. But generally speaking, you should care before mixing marijuana and anesthetic. You should definitely consult a doctor! There are a few articles online that talk about cannabis building a tolerance to anesthesia for a patient, not something you want happening during surgery.
In fact, in one tiny study of Colorado patients researchers found that marijuana users required more than three times the amount of one common sedation medicine, propofol, as did nonusers.
Established practices for cannabis and general anesthesia are not in place yet, so lots of other people have asked similar questions. So proceed with care.
DonalHMD
