Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
Dental implants are a leading-edge treatment that can replace a single missing tooth, multiple lost teeth, or anchor implant dentures. Natural-looking implants are secure and the closest dental treatment that resembles natural teeth. Moreover, dental implants are customizable in color and shape for the most natural results. However, a particular lifestyle habit, smoking, could hurt your chances of getting dental implants. Therefore, our Greeneville dental implant dentists at Tusculum Dental Care share on the blog today why you should quit this habit if you want dental implants.
Quit Smoking
You’ve probably already heard that smoking is bad for your overall health multiple times. However, smoking has an equally adverse effect on your teeth and gums as well. Nicotine, the addictive element in cigarettes, causes blood vessels to restrict and limit blood flow. Our Greenville dentists who offer dental implants explain that the restriction reduces your body’s ability to heal, which may increase your risk for infection. Unfortunately, slow healing can complicate your results further and ultimately lead to dental implant failure.
Many people don’t realize that oral surgery is necessary for dental implant placement. A dental implant procedure requires surgically implanting a titanium post into your jawbone in the exact location of your missing tooth. Once the surgery is complete, you should expect a healing period of approximately six months so that the implant can fuse to your jaw bone and make it stable enough to support normal biting pressures. Then, our Jonesboro dental implant dentists will permanently place a custom-made crown on the titanium post to provide you with a simulated natural biting surface. However, smokers increase their risk of delaying the healing process, which could cause implant failure and waste their time and money.
Smoking not only affects your dental implant chances, but it also causes adverse oral health conditions in other ways. For example, smokers have an increased risk of developing gum disease or experiencing additional tooth loss, especially when compared to non-smokers. Also, smoking is a leading cause of tooth stains and bad breath. Our Erwin dentists who offer dental implants advise patients to cease smoking cigarettes, vaping, or JUULling for better oral health and reduced oral cancer risk.
Dental Implants in Greeneville, Jonesborough, and Erwin, Tennessee
Smoking is an unhealthy habit that may cause adverse oral and overall health conditions. Therefore, researchers encourage smoking cessation for optimal health conditions. In addition, smoking can play a significant role in your healing results whenever you opt for surgery. Unfortunately, those results usually aren’t positive ones. Therefore, our Greeneville implant dentists encourage you to actively seek smoking cessation assistance from your primary care physician or another program. To learn more about dental implants or find out if you are a candidate, feel free to call Tusculum Dental Care at (423) 639-7575 or contact us online for an appointment.