14 Feb Smoking and implants. Is it possible?

Smoking and implants. Is it possible?

Smoking is harmful to our body and our mouth, producing lesions that can become malignant. Smoking increases the risk of periodontal diseases, oral mucosa, oral cancer or precancerous lesions. It even negatively affects the treatments carried out in our mouths, such as dental implants.

Scientific studies have also shown that tobacco use negatively influences the long-term success of dental implants. This increases the risk of losing the dental implant in the osseointegration period by 3 to 4 times.

What influence does tobacco use have on dental implants?

1. Healing process: when we place a dental implant, a small wound is made in the gum area where the dental implants are placed. This wound begins a healing process that is significantly worse if the patient is a smoker because tobacco has a vasoconstrictor effect that consequently decreases blood flow, so it does not create or maintain the clot in a suitable state for it to heal.
2. Infections: as we have explained previously, the lower blood supply causes the wounds that must heal to be more exposed to possible infections. Therefore, we can say that tobacco decreases the body’s defense capacity against infections.
3. Osseointegration: tobacco greatly hinders the osseointegration process that occurs after the placement of the implants in the patient’s mouth because there is less blood supply in the area where the dental implant has been placed.

Do I have to quit smoking if I want to get dental implants?

Frequently, smokers who are going to undergo dental implant treatment ask themselves this question.

Tobacco users have a clear disadvantage regarding the success of osseointegration of dental implants. It is advisable to stop smoking during the period indicated by your dentist or to significantly reduce tobacco use. Also, quitting smoking is important for overall health, not just for when dental implants are going to be placed.

In any case, at the oral level, quitting smoking one week before the intervention and during the eight following weeks is related to a better prognosis for the implants.

At BLASI Clínica Dental Barcelona we are experts in dental implants. We use the latest technology in dental implantology to achieve the best results, minimize the time of