Dental Implants and Smoking

Smoking and healing – what you need to know.

smiling man with beard and blue sweater standing with arms crossed

Smoking & Implant Risks

It’s common knowledge that cigarettes are detrimental to your overall health, but they’re also a significant stumbling block if you hope to have dental implants. Smoking interferes with the healing process and leads to a higher risk of implant failure. You will need to quit smoking, at least temporarily, if you want to go through with dental implant surgery. On this page, you can learn more about the potential risks related to dental implants and smoking at SmileRenu by Dr. David Crumpton, a cosmetic dentist in Trophy Club and Grapevine, TX.

How Do Cigarettes and Other Drugs Affect Dental Implants?

Tobacco products produce a considerable number of problems during the recovery period that may cause implants to fail. When inhaled cigarette smoke contacts the inside of your mouth, that is when it is hottest and most concentrated. At that point, it will burn your oral tissues, and over time the mouth will form white scaly patches called keratosis that can harm or block your salivary glands. This, in turn, will cause dry mouth. A dry mouth is a problem since you need saliva to wash away the acids and plaque that bacteria leave in your mouth. If these harmful particles remain, they can trigger or worsen cases of gum disease and tooth decay. This may not harm the prosthetic teeth but can damage or undermine the health of the nearby bones and tissues that support them.

Why Choose SmileRenu by Dr. David Crumpton for Your Dental Implants?

At SmileRenu, we understand that choosing the right dentist is a real concern. Your smile is of utmost importance, and you deserve access to the highest quality of care, along with the latest advances in modern dentistry. At SmileRenu, we are dedicated to achieving extraordinarily beautiful outcomes and specialize in both full-arch dental implants and individual dental implants, utilizing advanced technology.

Our staff of highly trained professionals is adept in total mouth rehabilitation, along with advanced full-mouth, implant-supported tooth restorations. Your journey to a total smile restoration will be under the care of one of the region’s most acclaimed dental professionals, Dr. Crumpton, who is known for his warmth of character, integrity, and world-class outcomes.

Getting to Know Dr. Crumpton

Dr. Crumpton’s interest in dentistry began at an early age when he lost a tooth in a work accident. He became fascinated by dental technology and had the good fortune to be cared for by kind, experienced professionals who instilled in him a sense of integrity and dedication to the craft. After graduating from West Texas State, Dr. Crumpton trained at Baylor College of Dentistry. Over the years, he has continued to hone his knowledge and skill through courses at UT San Antonio, the Pikos Institute, Lamar Dental Implant Training, and the Kois Center. Dr. Crumpton is a Gold Provider of Invisalign and has been called on to act as a trainer for CEREC. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

Nicotine

Nicotine causes problems for implants and raises the chance of failure, regardless of how it gets into the body. Because nicotine constricts the peripheral blood vessels in the mouth and skin, it will restrict the flow of oxygen and blood to your bones and oral tissues. This is critical during the healing period, where blood and oxygen are needed in the surgical site even more. As a result, the duration of recovery is prolonged, and the immune system’s defenses are lowered.

Tobacco Use and Implants – A Health Concern

Tobacco usage will hurt practically any surgery that is performed in the mouth. Tobacco and all its byproducts are peripheral vasoconstrictors. This means they constrict the flow of blood to smaller blood vessels, causing blood pressure to rise. Tobacco also can increase platelet adhesiveness which, when combined with constricted blood vessels, raises the risk of the smaller blood vessels closing off completely.

If your body doesn’t receive the proper level of oxygen and blood flow, it can’t heal. Moreover, if the immune system is suppressed, your risk of infection goes up, and osseointegration (the bonding of the implant with the jawbone) might not take place. Osseointegration is crucial for the success of implant surgery, and it has a much higher failure rate for smokers than it does for nonsmokers. Clinical trials have consistently rated smoking as one of the main risk factors for implant loss.

Smoking and Dry Sockets

Another issue unrelated to the drug itself is the act of inhaling. Inhaling creates suction, which can loosen protective blood clots prematurely. Blood clots act like scabs, exposing vulnerable areas and protecting them as they heal. Just as you should not pick at scabs, if you remove blood clots, you may experience pain and prolong the recovery period.

How Can I Protect Myself From Dry Sockets After Implant Surgery?

Dr. Crumpton will often prescribe antibacterial mouthwashes or salt water for rinsing so that you can ward off bacteria during the days after the surgery. Spitting can create a force strong enough to loosen blood clots, so avoid it. Instead, lean over a sink and let the liquid pour out of your mouth. If you think you have a dry socket, contact us immediately so we can treat it.