There are some things you probably already know about smoking and they’re not great. They can lead to lung cancer and a whole host of other problems for your overall health and your oral health, as well. As a result, when you’re someone who smokes and you are interested in dental implants, you might not know what to think. The in-a-nutshell version of the answer to this conundrum is that it’s possible for you to receive implants but smoking makes things much more complicated. Consider a few facts.
It Slows Healing (Bad For Osseointegration)
Smoking is known to slow your body’s ability to heal. As you may already know, a main component of your experience with dental implants is healing! Referred to as osseointegration, this healing process occurs as your jawbone tissue fuses with your dental implant. Of course, immediately following placement, your gum tissue needs to heal, too. Smoking can slow this down and make it unsuccessful.
It Makes Infection More Likely (Not Great For Placement Or Recovery)
Now, let’s talk about what happens when you undergo surgery: Incisions are made, into which bacteria will enter. This can lead to infection. Through appropriate measures and post-surgery care, preventing infection should be easy. However, smoking makes your body less capable of avoiding infection, which may be cause for concern.
It Can Cause Gum Inflammation (And Implant Failure)
Smoking can contribute to the swelling of your gum tissue. This is a concern for dental implant placement and wear because inflamed tissue around implants is called “peri-implantitis.” It’s a problem that might render your implant incapable of successfully remaining in place.
Get Implant Info From Us
Take time to sit down with our team to discover the implant information you’re interested in receiving. James Stewart, DDS, and our team serve patients from Livonia, MI, as well as Farmington Hills, Farmington, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, Dearborn Heights, Dearborn, Garden City, Westland, Redford, and the surrounding communities. To schedule a consultation, call our office today at (734) 425-4400.