Not that you need another reason to quit smoking, but here’s one more to add to the list, and it’s a compelling one for people having dental implants placed. A recent study has shown that smoking can affect your body’s ability to heal after implant surgery.
Dental implants are a highly effective treatment to replace missing teeth. Implants offer many benefits for patients over other treatment options and have become the gold standard for tooth replacement. Philadelphia dentist Dr. Pamela Doray has been providing implant restorations to her patients since 1986.
Meanwhile, we’ve all heard various health warnings associated with smoking. But what you may not know is smoking can also have a huge impact on your oral health. Patients who smoke have an increased risk of developing gum disease which is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Smokers are also at a higher risk for oral cancer.
Now there’s one more reason for smokers to be concerned. Studies conducted at the Xi’an Jiaotong University of Xi’an China found some interesting correlations between smoking and the length of time it takes for the body to heal and integrate the implant into the surrounding bone. Typically dental implants have a high success rate of 98%, but if you are a heavy smoker, your success rate may be in jeopardy. For non-smokers, in just two weeks after placement dental implants became more secure and began to heal with the surrounding bone. For smokers, however, implant stability did not begin to increase until after the third week. That slower healing time means there’s an increased risk of infection or damage to the implant or bone. The study also indicated increased risk for smokers for the long-term prognosis of their implants. Smokers were more prone to suffer bone loss and/or soft-tissue problems around the implant.
Philadelphia dentist Dr. Pamela Doray is a highly trained dentist offering cosmetic, restorative and implant restorative care. Contact our office to schedule a consultation or to learn more about how dental implants can benefit your life.