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For a large number of patients, the question is extremely important: is it allowed to drink alcohol before, as well as after tooth extraction. You need to know that removal is a surgical operation, after which a serious wound remains. Both the patient and the doctor are most interested in quick healing without complications. To do this, you must strictly follow the recommendations that will be described in this article. The strict prohibition of drinking alcohol before tooth extraction is explained by many reasons that have a negative effect on the patient’s body, as well as on the operation itself. Here are just a few of these problems:
rejecting the reaction of the patient’s body to the drugs used by the doctor; the lack of the effect of anesthesia necessary for the operation; high risk of inflammatory processes; for effective recovery, a much longer period is needed.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! A patient who is in a state of intoxication may be denied treatment, as a person under the influence of alcohol can have a negative impact on the surgical process.
After tooth extraction, dentists recommend not drinking anything for 2-3 hours, and then drinking only cool or lukewarm drinks for 12 hours. But keep in mind that this rule applies only to soft drinks. Alcohol, regardless of the strength, doctors are allowed to drink no earlier than a few days, or even weeks after the operation (depending on its complexity).
Drinking alcohol after dental treatment
Having consumed alcohol after tooth extraction, the patient risks facing the following consequences:
- prolonged bleeding of the hole due to poor blood clotting;
- inflammatory process of soft tissues next to the hole;
- high blood pressure due to vasodilation;
- in the process of wound healing, a clot appears that protects it from infection. Alcohol can dissolve this clot and the wound will be defenseless against infection.
How long after tooth extraction can you drink alcohol
This period for each individual case is individual. It is worth stopping the use of alcohol for the longest possible period of time, as it has a serious effect on pressure, due to which the patient may experience severe pain or bleeding. You should also limit yourself to smoking for at least a couple of hours after removal, as smoking can also cause bleeding.
Why You Shouldn’t Drink Alcohol After a Tooth Extraction
Our liver perceives even the most expensive and high-quality alcohol as poison and tries to neutralize it as soon as possible. If, shortly before drinking alcohol, a person underwent an operation to remove a tooth, then the body experiences a double load, which can lead to serious complications.
Let’s figure out what can happen if you drink alcohol before the deadline set by the doctor:
- After removing the tooth, the doctor puts a tampon on the wound. After about 30-40 minutes, it stops bleeding and becomes covered with a crust. A clot of clotted blood prevents pathogenic microorganisms from entering the wound (the oral cavity cannot be completely disinfected). Alcohol increases blood pressure and thins the blood. In addition, ethanol is an effective solvent. If it softens or washes away the crust, the wound will reopen, and it will be difficult to stop the bleeding due to increased pressure;
- alcohol is usually eaten with hearty dishes, often fatty and spicy. Food particles, once in an open wound, will at best provoke suppuration, at worst – sepsis;
- The operation is usually performed under local anesthesia. Ethanol neutralizes the effect of painkillers. By evening, the sensitivity of the receptors is exacerbated. So if you drink alcohol after tooth extraction, then a sleepless night is guaranteed;
- after gum surgery or inflammation, doctors prescribe antibiotics, painkillers, or antihistamines. What the combination of ethanol and drugs will lead to, no specialist will undertake to predict. Possible poisoning, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. This is unpleasant in itself, but if particles of semi-digested food mixed with gastric juice get into an open wound, suppuration will begin. In people with a tendency to allergic reactions, a “cocktail” of alcohol and drugs can cause anaphylactic shock;
- low-alcohol drinks are more harmful than strong ones. Beer, wine, and energy drinks contain flavoring agents that are toxic to the liver. Beer is a product of fermentation. Due to the entry of yeast fungi into the blood, an inflammatory process begins. Carbon dioxide and sugar irritate the mucous membrane and slow down wound healing;
- carbonated alcoholic drinks cause swelling;
- under the ban and cocktails. They also contain flavorings and sweeteners, but the main danger is that such mixtures are drunk through a straw. When fluid is drawn in through a thin tube, a vacuum is created in the mouth, and bleeding resumes. The same thing happens when drinking beer, energy drinks from the neck of a bottle or an aluminum can.
Rules for drinking alcohol after tooth extraction
Absolute sobriety is difficult to maintain. In order not to feel like a black sheep at a party or a family holiday, it is better not to postpone treatment, but to visit the dentist 1-2 weeks before the celebration. Usually, doctors allow you to drink alcohol no earlier than 3 days after tooth extraction.
For healthy people with good blood clotting and no inflammatory processes in the mouth, this period can be reduced to one day, but such cases are extremely rare. It is especially dangerous if the doctor removed the wisdom tooth: the wound is in a hard-to-reach place, and it is difficult to examine it yourself.
Other types of complications in which it is forbidden to drink alcohol
Surgery to remove a tooth may be required at any time. During this period, various holidays, parties and other events may occur. Therefore, it is worth knowing that drinking alcohol from 1 day to a longer period is not recommended in such situations:
- the doctor prescribed medicines that should not be mixed with alcohol;
- during the removal, the doctor used anesthesia;
- no need to go get a hangover tooth extraction. The human body in this state may not respond adequately to anesthesia or drugs. Therefore, seeing the patient’s condition, the doctor will definitely reschedule the visit;
- stone removal or teeth whitening are also reasons why you should forget about alcohol for at least a few days, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the enamel;
- taking antibiotics. Sometimes the doctor prescribes a long course of treatment, in which alcohol is contraindicated.
You can drink alcohol after tooth extraction no earlier than 1 day later. The maximum period depends on the characteristics of the body of the person who had the tooth removed. Don’t risk your health for short-term pleasure. A simple recommendation will help protect your body: after the operation, you need to check with the doctor for a complete list of prohibitions, incl. and those related to the use of alcohol.
Situations when dentists recommend extending the period of abstinence from alcohol:
- if the wound hurts or bleeds. Pain is a sign of an inflammatory process, even if it goes unnoticed. If the pain does not go away within 3-4 days, you should definitely consult a dentist;
- if in the oral cavity: on the gums, on the inner surface of the cheeks or lips, there is swelling;
- in no case should you drink alcohol after tooth extraction if the doctor has prescribed any medications. At the end of taking the drugs, you need to refrain from drinking alcohol for at least a week;
- if an operation was performed on the gum, it is allowed to drink alcohol no earlier than 3-4 days after complete healing (removal of sutures);
- if, in parallel with the removal of one tooth, the dentist treated another tooth using an arsenic-based paste. The use of alcoholic beverages is allowed after the complete removal of arsenic from the oral cavity.
The duration of the period during which you can not drink alcohol after tooth extraction, be sure to discuss with your doctor. But in the first 1-2 weeks after complete recovery, it is better to refrain from beer, champagne, cocktails or energy drinks.