Helping Smokers Replace Missing Teeth With Dental Implants
At Sheen Dental we’ve successfully placed hundreds of dental implants in Richmond patients, some of whom were or have been smokers. Even though we’re all aware of the dangers that smoking has on our overall health, you might not know that it can also wreak havoc with your oral health too?
Gingivitis for example is the early stage of gum disease and is known to be predominantly prevalent in smokers. In fact studies have shown that smokers are 4 times as likely to develop periodontal disease than non smokers. Nicotine contained in tobacco tends to restrict blood vessels therefore a gingivitis sufferer might not show the obvious signs of bleeding gums when brushing their teeth. This might make it harder to spot and, if not dealt with, it can easily result in periodontal disease which can go on to cause major problems for the teeth.
Aside from this teeth can become badly stained and in many cases look unsightly. Taking these factors into consideration and combined with an overall neglect of the mouth (it’s thought that as many as one in three smokers don’t visit the dentist regularly, and one in four, never at all) it’s only going to result in one thing – major teeth issues.
So how can dental implants help?
Dental implants are a permanent fixture that replace teeth which have succumbed to advanced gum disease. The damaged teeth are removed and their implant replacements are secured into the jaw bone, where after a period of time, they fuse with the surrounding bone tissue. This process is known as osseointegration and usually takes longer in smokers. Once a super-strong implant base is created it becomes a supporting platform for a whole host of prosthetics including individual crowns, bridges, and even dentures. After the permanent dentures are placed the transformation between badly stained and diseased teeth and a new set of permanent life-like prosthetics is complete.
So can you continue smoking after the implants have been placed?
Even though we’re dentists we’re also realists and therefore we know that it isn’t always possible for someone to simply go ‘cold turkey’ and quit altogether. Therefore once the implants have been established then a patient should be able to continue to smoke at their own risk. That said, we do strongly advise that patients quit smoking for the duration of the treatment and into the early stages of the implantation process. The reason? Because tobacco smoke contains harmful bacteria which can attack the area in and around the newly placed implant. For an implant to thrive it needs to be placed into a healthy area which is free from gum disease and bacteria. Clearly this isn’t going to be the case if a patient continues to smoke.
As you can see, smoking doesn’t rule out undergoing a procedure for dental implants in Richmond and in fact, in the end the patient will get a great looking set of teeth they can be proud of. However smokers should realise that they will be asked to make some sacrifices in the short term in order to make dental implants a viable option.
To find out more about smoking and dental implants check out our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk where you can find a wealth of information on the subject. Alternatively if you’d like to book a free consultation with Dr Kalsi and the team to discuss your options then contact us directly on 020 8876 5277 today.