What Happens if You Smoke with Dental Implants?

At The Toothbar, we know just how personally and professionally devastating tooth loss can be. When a person’s smile is incomplete, this can lead to diminished confidence, lower levels of marketability in both the social and professional arenas, and a noticeably lower life quality overall. This is especially true when tooth loss is progressive and widespread. Even basic actions such as talking and chewing can become difficult. That’s why we often advise patients to correct these structural and functional issues with dental implant procedures. As a trusted leader in Austin cosmetic dentistry, The Toothbar is committed to offering a variety of cutting-edge, smile restoration solutions.

Unlike partial dentures and dental bridges, dental implants are designed to both complete the smile, and protect the underlying bone structure from deterioration. During this treatment, a titanium post is installed directly into the jawbone. Once this post is grafted in, it will be used to support a natural-looking, artificial tooth. The body treats this titanium post much like it would a natural tooth root. As a result, When installed in a healthy, tobacco-free mouth, implants can provide lasting improvements in both a person’s looks, and his or her talking and chewing abilities. It can also stave off the volume loss caused by missing teeth that significantly ages the face. But what happens if you smoke with dental implants?

Understanding The Impact That Smoking Has On Your Oral Health

When people smoke, it’s virtually impossible for these individuals to maintain a normal pH at the mouth interior. Tobacco use raises the acidity of the mouth in a way that can be very detrimental to the natural tooth structures and their protective layer of enamel. In fact, smoking affects a person’s oral health in a very vast range of ways. To start, it contributes to dehydration and dry mouth. This creates the perfect conditions for harmful, odor and decay-causing bacteria to proliferation. Smoking also constricts the blood vessels and limits the flow of blood to the mouth. Without an ample supply of nutrients and oxygen, the tooth structures become more vulnerable to damage and decay. In instances in which oral surgery such as a dental implant procedure is required, smoking additionally slows the healing process. It also undermines the integrity of bone structures throughout the body, especially the bone that supports the natural teeth. As such, among smokers, the failure rate for implants can be as high as 20 percent.

Even before considering dental implants, patients at The Toothbar are advised to quit smoking. When seeking dental implants from a cosmetic dentist downtown, many people will find that smoking cessation is an essential step towards becoming a desirable candidate. For dental implants to be stable, they must be successfully grafted into the supporting bone. With the reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery that’s caused by smoking, and with increases in harmful mouth bacteria, higher levels of acidity, and other side effects, this healing rarely occurs successfully in those who engage in continued tobacco use. When visiting a cosmetic dentist downtown Austin TX residents who smoke should inquire about their options in smoking cessation. For smokers, this is one of the best ways to ensure the success of any dental treatment.

How Dental Implants Can Protect Against Further Tooth Loss

One of the many reasons for our continued success in Austin cosmetic dentistry is our commitment to creating healthy, lasting smiles, rather than merely offering procedures that improve mouth aesthetics. Dental implants are a highly recommended procedure for all patients experiencing local or widespread tooth loss. Their ability to mimic the functionality of natural tooth roots not only preserves more of the natural bone structure, but it also helps minimize the facial volume loss that commonly occurs when natural teeth are missing. More importantly, it prevents the remaining natural teeth from migrating out of position, thus preserving and balancing bite forces. By providing effective, functional replacements for missing teeth, these structures also limit the wear and tear that the remaining teeth sustain by minimizing the amount of work they have to do.

As a cosmetic dentist downtown Austin TX residents can rely on for obtaining complete and needs-specific services, The Toothbar additionally offers treatments for gum disease, as well as bone grafting procedures for rebuilding diminished areas of the jawbone. These pre-implantation procedures can help set the stage for stable, and successful implants, especially when patients are dedicated in their efforts to stop smoking.

Tips For Ensuring That Your Dental Implant Procedure Is A Success

Smoking cessation isn’t just an important step when working with a cosmetic dentist downtown. It’s also key for promoting and protecting your overall oral health, and your general health. Beyond addressing tobacco addiction head-on, it’s also important to follow the aftercare instructions of your dentist following treatment. Existing issues such as gum disease and insufficient bone density should always be addressed ahead of implantation. At The Toothbar, you’ll always get a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that’s designed to create stable, beautiful, and truly long-lasting results.