Advanced Dental Implant Center : Articles : Smoking Can Lead To The Failure Of A Dental Implants Procedure

At Advanced Dental Implant Center, Dr. Holtzclaw and his entire team is committed to providing patients with the best in advanced dental implant procedures . This means using the latest in restorative dentistry to improve your overall wellness and the latest in cosmetic dentistry to make your smile look its very best. Combining these disciplines with close attention is a sure way to help patients have great dental health for years to come.Right now, we want to take a moment to focus on the nature of dental implants, with a special focus on how smoking can affect the success of implant dentistry treatment.

About Dental Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are surgically embedded into your jawbone and gum tissue. When in place, dental implants provide a hold that is comparable to natural tooth roots. Using a single dental implant , a dental crown can fill a gap left by an individual tooth; with multiple dental implants, dentists can support a dental bridge, a partial denture, or a full denture.

Since oral surgery is involved, it’s important that patients not be smokers. Smoking and tobacco products in general have many negative effects on the implant dentistry process, which is just another compelling reason to quit smoking.

Smoking Slows Down Your Recovery Process

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, which makes it harder for you to heal. The most crucial part of the implant dentistry process is the healing and recovery phase, which takes several months. Poor healing during this time means that the treatment is less likely to be successful.

Smoking Can Cause a Complication Called Peri-Implantitis

Peri-implantitis is a complication that is common to smokers, which involves inflammation of the gum tissue around the dental implant. Deep mucosal pockets develop that slow down the bone tissue’s ability to heal.

Smoking Increases Risk of Infection

Since the healing ability of the patient is slowed down, the risk of infection increases following implant dentistry treatment.

Smoking Can Reduce the Effectiveness of Medication

Smoking and tobacco products have both been known to limit or impair the effectiveness of different medications that may be crucial to the post-surgical healing process.

What Patients Should Do If They Currently Smoke

If patients currently smoke, they should look into different options for quitting smoking. Ideally patients should not smoke for a few months before the oral surgery for dental implants in order to help ensure success. Be sure to consult with your physician to learn more about different options for quitting.

We should also note that apart from affecting the implant dentistry process, smoking obviously has negative effects on the appearance of your teeth, the state of your breath, and the overall state of your general health. There are so many compelling reasons to quit smoking or not start in the first place, so please keep those in mind.

Learn More About Implant Dentistry

For more information on dental implants and how they can be of great benefit to you and your needs, be sure to contact our Austin, TX dental care practice today. The team at Advanced Dental Implant Center looks forward to meeting you in person and going over all of your dental care options in much greater detail.