We all know that smoking is bad for your health. However, many people with dental implants are unaware that smoking negatively affects their dental implants, and can actually cause your body to reject them over time. Dental implants are a serious expense and one of the negative impacts smoking has on them is wasting the money you have invested into your smile. If you have any questions about how smoking affects your dental implants, contact your dentist to find out more about a dental implant procedure greenville sc.
Slows Healing
One important side effect is that smoking slows the healing process. Longer healing time can increase the risk of your body rejecting the dental implants that have been placed.
Smoking Affects Your Overall Oral Health
We all know that smoking affects our overall health. It affects our cardiovascular system and the health of our lungs. There is not as much information out there about how smoking affects your overall oral health. Your implants and gums rely on healthy blood flow and saliva to remain healthy. Smoking reduces blood flow and dries out the mouth, which reduces the ability to heal, and the ability of saliva to contain the amount of disease-causing bacteria that are found in the mouth. This creates perfect conditions for gum disease to develop.
Smoking Decreases the Success of Dental Implants
The overall success of dental implants relies on the body’s ability to heal properly and quickly. The implant must be able to fuse to the jawbone successfully. Since smoking causes delayed and increases the risk of developing an infection, dental implants are placed at an increased risk of being rejected or failing.
Smokers typically experience dental implant failure during the first phase of healing. The chances of failure increase significantly if the patient is a long-term smoker. After the healing process, smokers face other risks associated with their implants, including bone loss, gum infection, reduced blood flow to the area the implant is fused to.
How to Increase the Chances of Success with Dental Implants
Quitting smoking completely is ideal for your overall health. However, it is important for patients to stop smoking completely at least one week before their implant surgery. You should make an effort not to smoke after your surgery had been completed. If you have been looking for a reason to quit, this is the perfect opportunity to do so for your physical and oral health. Consult with your doctor on the best ways to approach smoking cessation with success.
Before your implant placement surgery, take time to educate yourself on the various aspects of practicing good oral hygiene and implement the activities into your daily life. Also, make sure you understand the different aspects of taking care of your implants once your surgery is completed. Your dental surgeon will inform you of the basics of caring for your implants, but you can learn much more about their care by reading about the trials and errors other patients have had over the years.
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