Everyone knows that smoking is bad for our health. The oral region with which the tobacco products are inhaled is highly vulnerable to serious infections and diseases. Do you know cigarettes and other tobacco products will affect the false teeth fixed with implants?
Dental implant is the widely used missing teeth replacement solution. Teeth fixed with implants are highly durable and assures 90% of success rates. An implant replaces the missing tooth root and requires ample support from the jaw bone. An implant tooth should be surrounded by healthy jaw bone and gum tissues to stand rigidly. Smoking is powerful to loosen the implants and fall out.
How smoking is related to implant failure? The facts are explained by Dr. Sendhilnathan an expert implantologist in Chennai.
1)Smoking shortens the blood flow
Nicotine is the chemical compound present in cigarettes. It can constrict the blood vessels present in mouth and skin. This results in the oral regions do not get sufficient blood supply and antibodies carried by the blood. When the implants are fixed, the implant site is injured because of the surgery. During the healing process, the implant gets fused with the jaw bone.
In contrast, smoking prolongs the healing period. The chances are higher for bacterial accumulation in the surgical site during healing. Bacteria's entry in the implant region interferes the bonding of the implant with the jaw bone. It ends in the false tooth falls down within a short period after implantation.
2)Affects Salivary Glands
Smoking cigarette and consuming tobacco in any form will affect the salivary glands. It results in less production of saliva.
Apart from keeping the moist condition of our mouth, saliva plays a dominant role in excluding the bacteria and other harmful microorganisms in our mouth. If there is a lack of salivary production, it will end up in the dry mouth which is taken advantage by the oral bacteria and cause various oral complications including gum diseases.
Remember that gum diseases like Gingivitis and Periodontitis have the same effect on dental implants like natural teeth. It weakens the bone with the implants and leads to implant failure.
3)Peri-Implantitis
Teeth implants are highly prone to an infectious disease called peri-implantitis. It causes inflammation in the gum tissues and loosen the osseointegrated bone followed by the bone loss and ends in the tooth implants fall out.
As the implants do not have the ligaments possessed by a natural tooth, when an implanted tooth is infected with the infectious disease, it will become easily loosened.
Dentists say that infectious disease has been caused by oral bacteria. If you are a smoker, then you are highly vulnerable to peri-implantitis.
Conclusion
The durability of implant teeth depends upon how you take care of it. Apart from keeping the fake teeth clean with dental hygiene, you have to skip things that are harmful to the implants. Cigarettes and tobacco products are the prime things to avoid after fixing implants.
If you cannot abstain this habit, at last try to lower the consumption. But you should not smoke for a week before fixing implants. Similarly, avoiding smoking for one week after fixing dental implants is also important. If you smoke immediately following the implantation, bacterial accumulation over the site may occur and leads to further complications.
Have queries on dental implants? Contact the best dental implant centre in Chennai.
