If you’re a smoker who has lost permanent teeth, you may be curious to know what your replacement options are. While you may already be familiar with dentures, these prosthetics can take a lot of effort to care for, and if you haven’t yet quit your cigarette habit, they can become damaged very quickly. Here’s a closer look at a solution you may not have considered: durable, lifelike dental implants. While you may still want to cut smoking from your life, these restorations are much more convenient and comfortable, and with proper care could last you a lifetime!
What Are Dental Implants?
Simply put, dental implants are the world’s only permanent tooth replacement solution. They work by surgically inserting a titanium or zirconium post into the jaw, where it fuses in place via a process known as osseointegration. This not only simulates the roots of the tooth and provides important jawbone stimulation that prevents drift and further tooth loss, but they also look and feel like real teeth- even restoring complete biteforce!
How Does Smoking Harm Your Oral Health?
Unfortunately, when you smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products, you naturally deplete your saliva and can even damage the salivary glands, so they don’t produce adequate amounts going forward. This puts you at an increased risk of gum disease and foul breath, not to mention serious illnesses like lung cancer, oral cancer, lung disease, and emphysema.
If you smoke and wear dentures, the smoke can damage your prosthetic by staining it, causing it to smell terrible no matter how much you clean it, and even trap harmful chemicals in your mouth when you’re not smoking, which can also increase your cancer risk.
Can I Still Get Dental Implants if I Smoke?
While it is still possible to get dental implants if you smoke, your dentist will likely ask you to quit at least temporarily before your surgery. That’s because it can slow the healing process and make your restorations more likely to fail. Worse yet, that risk won’t go away once your implants have healed, so even if you do quit until your final restorations are placed you can still experience failure later. Furthermore, the staining and foul odor that is so common on smokers’ natural teeth and dentures can also occur with dental implants. So, while yes, it is possible to get dental implants if you smoke, vape, or chew tobacco, quitting permanently is the best way to give your smile the highest chance of success!
Remember, while it may be difficult to give up bad habits like smoking and tobacco use, to give your newly restored smile the best odds for lasting a lifetime, it is important to quit. If you need help doing so, speak to your dentist or primary care doctor for more information and resources.
About Our Practice
At Pasadena Family Dentistry, our trio of caring and talented dentists want to restore your smile with the help of durable, natural-looking dental implants. If you’re a smoker who is missing permanent teeth, quitting is an important way to safeguard your remaining natural teeth and your new restorations. To learn more about dental implants and to see if you qualify, schedule a consultation with us today by visiting our website or calling 713-946-5171.