Can I Get Dental Implants if I Smoke?

Smoking and dental implants in Lexington, KY, don’t go well together. While the dangers of smoking are mostly associated with lung problems, your mouth is a delicate and balanced system that can get disrupted by this harmful practice, too.

From reducing blood flow to increasing chances of tooth decay, smoking can have several consequences for your oral health, and one of them is reducing the chances of success for your dental implants. This doesn’t mean the treatment is completely out of the picture. Let's discuss why.  

Smoking and Dental Implants: Why They Don’t Get Along  

Dental Implants are a longer-lasting and natural-looking dentistry option to restore missing teeth, but they’re not for everyone. Because implants involve inserting a titanium screw into your jawbone to gain extra stability, they require patients with a healthy mouth and enough jawbone density.

This excludes patients with severe diabetes, immunological diseases, and, in some cases, smokers from the picture. Smoking can damage your oral health and slow down the healing process, a crucial part of implant dentistry. While people who smoke may still be candidates for dental implants, there are increased risks involved.

In fact, patients who smoke have the highest chances of developing peri-implantitis, an infection in the implant site that may cause the implant to fail.  

The reason for this lies in the different ways smoking can affect your overall oral health. Some of these include:

Nicotine Narrows Blood Vessels  

Nicotine restricts blood flow to organs and tissues by narrowing blood vessels. Adequate blood flow is necessary for dental implants to heal properly, so if you smoke, the healing process can be delayed.  

Osseointegration Is Better If You Don’t Smoke  

It takes time for your jawbone and dental implants to fuse after they are placed, a process called osseointegration. Implants become stable by fusing with the jawbone, just like natural tooth roots.  

Sadly, smoking interferes with osseointegration. Besides increasing the chances of failure immediately after placement, the risk of an infection in your fused implant increases years of smoking.

Nicotine Promotes Gum Disease  

Smoking also increases the bacteria in your mouth because it dries it, reducing saliva production. This can cause gum disease, an illness in which the tissue around your teeth starts to pull away, creating pockets where bacteria can thrive. If bacteria grow in your gums around dental implants, the surgical site will likely become infected, too.  

Smoking Suppresses Your Immune System  

Tiny incisions must be made in your gums to receive dental implants. These surgical sites need to heal properly, but smoking suppresses your immune system, making it harder to fight any infection naturally, making it more difficult for your dental implants to heal.

Are You Still Interested in Getting Dental Implants in Lexington, KY?

While smoking increases the risk of implant surgery, it doesn’t mean this treatment is completely out of the picture. Dental implants may still be a good fit for you if the overall state of your mouth is healthy, you practice good oral hygiene, and you can commit to stopping this harmful habit for a few days before and after the surgery.

However, every situation is unique. If you want to know if dental implants can still be a solution for you, contact Georgetown Sedation Dentistry! Our qualified staff are eager to learn more about your needs and wishes for this treatment.