Does Smoking Affect Dental Implants? Tips from Willow Street Dental

You may have been told that smoking can impede your healing if you’re considering getting dental implants or have only recently had the procedure done. The effect of smoking on dental implants can be anything from delaying the healing to making the implant fail. So why is smoking critical to the success of dental implants? Let’s dig into it a bit more about how smoking can impact your oral health, your healing, and what you can do to maintain your implants in their optimal position.

How Smoking Affects Dental Implants

When you have a dental implant, a titanium post is put into your jawbone, and that eventually becomes one with the bone itself through osseointegration. This is an imprecise process that requires a healthy jaw and mouth environment so that the implant can be securely attached.

Smoking interferes with this process in several critical ways:

• Less flow of blood: Smoking constricts blood vessels, meaning there is reduced oxygen and lower nutrition for the healing tissue in your jawbone and gums. This lowers your body’s healing power and effectiveness in healing the surgical site.
• Increased risk of infection: Smoking weakens your immune system, and it becomes harder for your body to fight off infection. Infection at the implant site can lead to failure of the implant, longer healing time, and infection that might require more procedures.
• Delayed osseointegration: To succeed, dental implants must form a bond with your jawbone. Smoking reduces bone density and inhibits bone formation, which slows the process of bonding and predisposes the implants to failure.

Smoking also introduces toxic substances like nicotine and tar into your mouth, which can cause gum infection, bone loss, and oral infections – all of which impact your implant lifespan.

The Healing Process and Smoking

Another important aspect of living with dental implants is providing your mouth with enough time to heal after surgery. The initial healing period should enable the dental implant to integrate with your jawbone. To achieve this process, you should avoid anything that can slow down or complicate the healing process, including smoking.

Research shows that smokers are more likely to develop complications during this phase, and research has also shown that smoking increases implant failure risk 2 to 3 times more than in non-smokers. The more you smoke, the higher the risk, which is why many dentists strongly suggest quitting smoking before and after implant surgeries.

Tips for Protecting Your Implants

Though the very best thing you can do to protect your dental implants is to stop smoking entirely, we realize that sometimes that is just not an option. But there are some things that you can do to reduce the risks of smoking and maintain your investment in your gorgeous new smile:

• Reduce smoking: If you cannot quit immediately, try reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke daily. Merely lessening the degree of smoking improves blood and oxygen circulation throughout your mouth, enabling your body to recover more efficiently.
• Practice good oral hygiene: Having a clean mouth after dental implant surgery is crucial. Brush and floss your teeth daily, and rinse with an antimicrobial mouthwash to reduce the risk of infection.
• Follow up with regular visits: Having regular check-ups with your dentist after dental implant placement is crucial. Regular visits allow your dentist to monitor the healing process and address any complications early enough.
• Quit smoking at least 48 hours before surgery: Following your surgery, it is essential to quit smoking for at least 48 hours to provide your gums with an ample amount of time to heal effectively. 

We understand at Willow Street Dental how important your dental implants are to you, both for your smile and your health. If you are a smoker, now is the time to take action to save your smile. The longer you smoke, the higher the chances you will have of complications, but quitting smoking or reducing your smoking can improve your chances of long-term success if done correctly.

Visit our Chippewa Falls dental office today to schedule an appointment, learn about the impact of smoking on dental implants, and learn how we can help you achieve your dream smile.