All-on-4 ®dental implants are implant overdentures designed to stabilize dentures for people with low bone volume who otherwise might not qualify for dental implants. Dental implants provide a solid foundation for your new smile after your jawbone interlocks with the implant threads. But what if you smoke? Can you still get All-on-4 dental implants?
Can You Smoke and Get All-on-4 Dental Implants?
If you do not quit smoking before and after getting All-on-4 dental implants, it will increase your risk of dental implant failure. Still, it is not easy to stop smoking. The Centers for Disease Control confirms that although over 68 percent of people want to stop smoking, only 7.5 percent succeed each year. But do not be discouraged. Quitting the habit can take multiple attempts. Your implant dentist and medical doctor can guide you to helpful treatment and resources that work and help you quit smoking. Many people benefit by understanding how smoking affects their investment in All-on-4 dental implants.
How Does Smoking Affect All-on-4 Dental Implants?
Smoking affects the success of All-on-4 dental implants by creating an unhealthy environment for healing. The risks include:
Causes dry mouth
Smoking causes inflammation in your salivary glands and decreases saliva flow. A dry mouth creates an unhealthy foundation for All-on-4 dental implants. An article in the Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects on the effects of smoking on saliva production notes these risk factors from smoking:
- Significantly lowers saliva secretion
- Increase the risk of dry mouth
- Increases the risk of dental diseases related to dry mouth
Smoking can increase the risk All-on-4 dental implants failure.
Promotes plaque buildup
You cannot get a cavity in a dental implant crown, but plaque can affect the artificial tooth roots. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry article, Five Things You Should Know About Dental Implants, explains how plaque can affect your All-on-4 dental implants:
- Hides on implant screws in places that you cannot see or reach
- Builds up on your implants
- Irritates and inflames gum tissue around the implants
Delays healing
Smoking narrows your blood vessels and will restrict blood flow and oxygen to the gums and bone around your dental implants. The World Health Organization published an article on smoking and the risks of complications after surgery. The report confirms that smoking has the following effects:
- Disturbs your immune system and can delay healing
- Increases the risk of infection at the surgical sites
- Decreases your body’s ability to deliver nutrients necessary for recovery after just one cigarette
Promotes gum disease
The American Academy of Implant Dentistry confirms that tobacco use weakens your body’s immune response to pathogens. If pathogens affect your dental implant sites, concerns like these may arise:
- Gum disease
- Increased risk of dental implant complications
- Increased risk of implant failure
Damages the jawbone
Your jawbone is the foundation for All-on-4 dental implants, but smoking can cause bone loss. The Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry reports that after you receive dental implants, bone loss and infection from smoking increase the risk of late-stage complications.
