Fun fact: George Washington had fake teeth. His wife was likely not all that enthused to kiss him, knowing they were made of hippo ivory and wood. If the father of our country was open about replacing his missing teeth with artificial ones, you can rest assured there’s no shame in having them yourself.
That said, just because dental implants include fake teeth doesn’t mean you’re free to do as you please. There are some limitations to what you can eat, and what you can ingest. In particular, smoking after dental implants is a big no-no.
If you want to keep that new, healthy smile, then you’ll have to kick your habit.
Why Is Smoking after Dental Implants Not Recommended?
We all know that smoking is bad for your oral health. It can yellow and decay your teeth, thin your gums, and increase the risk of gum disease. It can also cause mouth cancer, bone loss, and worse.
Further, the chemicals that cigarettes contain inhibit the healing process in your gum tissue. If you were to continue to smoke after your surgery, it could cause gingivitis and periodontitis. Your gum health is critical after dental implant surgery, and you need to do everything you can to promote the wellbeing and blood flow in your gums.
Going against this advice will likely cause your soft gum tissue and bones to struggle to heal. In normal conditions, it requires several weeks or months to fully integrate your new implants. Smoking could potentially cause prolong the procedure’s recovery time — or worse, cause the implants to fail.
Post-Procedure Infection from Smoking
Infection is a serious risk during any medical procedure, especially for people of advanced age. Assuming you are a healthy individual with good oral care, the threat of infection is minimal. But introduce smoking into the mix, and the risk for infection increases significantly.
Unfortunately, tobacco is an immunosuppressant. This means that it reduces the effectiveness of your immune system, which is an essential component of the healing process. Smoking not only worsens a simple infection, but it introduces foreign bacteria (such as the tar and chemicals from the cigarette) into open wounds.
Abstain from Smoking Before and After Your Dental Implant Surgery
If you are a regular smoker, we highly recommend that you quit smoking before your surgery. This will ensure that your jaw bones are nice and strong for the installation of the implants. You may be a better candidate if you don’t smoke since you won’t require any bone grafts to complete the surgery.
If you smoke, you must abstain after the surgery. But really, you should make every effort to quit. You’ll be glad you did; your overall health will improve, and you’ll have a successful surgery.
Get Dental Implant Surgery with Synergy
The verdict is clear: smoking after dental implants is highly discouraged. Doing so could complicate or delay the healing after your procedure. As a general principle, smoking already does incredible damage to both teeth and gums.
Synergy can return your smile to what it once was. Visit us today and schedule your own dental implant surgery.
