Dental Implant Procedure As A Smoker: What You Should Know

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If you are missing some of your teeth, a great restorative option is dental implants. However, those who smoke may have an impact on how well dental implants will work to restore your teeth. You can get dental implants if you smoke, but there are some issues that smoking can cause for the overall success of the procedure. Here is what you need to know:

What Does Smoking Have to Do with Dental Implants?

Smoking can impact your dental implants in a variety of ways. Smoking can cause issues with your jawbone, which is critical to the dental implant process. Smoking also can damage healthy gum tissue, which is also necessary for a successful implant. The act of smoking may burn delicate mouth tissues and impact the mouth's ability to make saliva. You need proper saliva production to ensure your mouth remains in optimal health. If you do not produce adequate saliva, the mouth will dry out. This may result in gum disease, tooth decay, and other dental issues. All of these problems can lead to weaker bones and gum tissue that ultimately cannot properly support your dental implants.

When you smoke, you build up nicotine in your blood. Nicotine in the blood causes a weakened immune system. You need a healthy immune system for a successful dental implant procedure. Your body relies on your ability to heal itself as the dental implants attach to the jawbone. Nicotine can also prevent proper blood flow to your entire body. You need the blood to flow properly for healing purposes.

Can You Smoke After Your Dental Implant Procedure?

After dental implant surgery, you will have restrictions for at least a certain period of time. These restrictions are necessary to make sure you heal and recover as fast as you can. One of those restrictions includes smoking. For the best results, you should try to avoid smoking for several months if you can to help with proper blood clot development. If you have ever had a tooth extracted, you already know that you need that blood clot to form to fill in the hole left behind where the tooth used to be. When you make a suction action, whether that be through smoking, drinking through a straw, or other suction activity, you stand the risk of losing those important blood clots necessary for proper healing and adherence of the implant to the bone. If you can wait to smoke long enough for the implants to heal, you will ensure a better result.

Contact a company like Elite Smile Center to learn more about dental implants. 


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