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Smoking and Healing - RCJ
On the 20th of this month, millions of
Americans will attempt to go smoke free for just one day.
The American Cancer Society organized the first Great
American Smoke out in 1977. Since that time, the focus has
evolved from helping adults quit smoking to helping children
and teenagers understand the dangers of smoking.
Most of us know that smoking causes heart disease and
stroke as well as cancer and lung disease. We are also
aware of the fact that nearly half a million people die each
year as a result of smoking or inhaling other people’s
smoke.
What most of us are not aware of is that cigarette
smoking affects our immune system’s ability to fight
infection as well as our ability to heal after an injury or
surgery. Recently, a number of medical studies have shown
that cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for both
infection and poor wound healing following an injury or
surgery.
Performing surgery on someone who smokes can be a risky
undertaking, both for the patient and the surgeon. Smokers
tend to heal poorly, and have longer stays in the hospital
due to complications such as infection or breathing
problems.
All living tissue in the body requires
nutrients and oxygen in order to heal and function
properly. This is especially important following
surgery. Smoking reduces the amount of these vital nutrients
and oxygen in the blood. It also increases the level of
harmful substances in the blood such as carbon monoxide. All
of which leads to a poor outcome to surgery.
No one knows this better than Dr. Jeffery Olson, DDS of
Rapid City. Olson has practiced dentistry in the Rapid City
area for over 15 years and has observed that smoking causes
poor healing after dental surgery. “When a tooth is
extracted and the patient continues to smoke, suction is
created in the mouth while inhaling a cigarette”, says
Olson. “The newly formed blood clot at the extraction site
is literally sucked out of the socket--exposing the
bone. This will cause a very painful condition called dry
socket and can delay healing for up to several months.”
In addition to poor wound healing after
dental surgery, Olson warns his patients that the heat
generated when inhaling a cigarette will increase the pain
associated with the tooth extraction. “The simple fact is
that quitting smoking can save you from a lot of pain and
suffering after dental surgery and staying smoke free can
even save your teeth,” says Olson.
The normal healing process after a
tooth extraction is up to two to six weeks for the tissue to
grow over the extraction site and up to six months for the
bone to heal. Olson has had several smokers take up to one
full year to completely heal. “Smoking not only causes
poorly oxygenated blood, it also causes the blood vessels at
the healing site to narrow (vasoconstriction), slowing down
vital nutrients to aid in healing.”
Also, recent studies have shown that
smoking can increase the time it takes for you to recover
from an injury to the knee or shoulder. Studies have also
revealed that smokers are more likely to have a more severe
injury to these joints than non-smokers. Researchers believe
that this is due to blood flow being cut off to the deep
tissues. This makes those joints more prone to injury.
In addition to lack of blood supply to
the deep tissues, smoking also affects the formation and
growth of new bone. Fractures take longer to heal and spinal
fusions are often less successful. This bone growth is vital
for fractures and fusions to heal properly. Smoking leads to
the breakdown of the spine as a result of decreased blood
flow, making the surgery less successful.
Whether you are having a surgery on
your teeth or elsewhere in the body, smoking not only
results in more health care dollars spent, it causes
unnecessary suffering for the patient. Olson believes those
patients who are facing any type of surgery or dental
procedure should make every effort to stop smoking. Olson
and other dentist in the community as well as your physician
realize how important it is to quit smoking and would be
willing to help you stop.
If you smoke and want to quit, there
are a number of treatment options available for you. The
sooner you quit, the better you will feel and your risk for
complications after surgery will be reduced.
I would like to thank future Physician Assistant (PA), Terry
Henrie of Rapid City for research assistance and other
contributions to this article. Henrie is a Senior PA
student at Rocky Mountain College, Billings MT.
Content
of articles can only be used with writer attribution to Dr.
Kevin Weiland.
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