Smoking after Dental implants and healing? Are there any alternatives to quitting. I'm a truck driver, hard to quit, HELP?????

Question

I just had an implant a week ago and my doctor told me I had to quit, and I told her I cant so she advised me to at least take it easy so I'm trying my best but my best is not going good enough and I don't want to loose it.Based on the possibility that there may be alternative personal care options I can use I already eat healthy, I started taking vitamins B-12, D-3, Selinium, calcium, plus the multi-vitamins I already have been taking.Will this eliminate the risks of my continued smoking habit?

Emery Cole, DMD, FAGD · Answer

I have placed implants for patients who use tobacco and you have higher risks for poor wound healing and slower tissue/bone growth.  Just understand you are taking on more risk of failure and risks with obvious future health issues.  I request all my implant patients be seen every 3 months for hygiene/implant  maintenance and if you are not already being seen more frequently for other dental needs, this would be a good idea as peri-implantitis can occur rapidly (for any number of reasons not just smoking) .

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS · Answer

Hi:I totally understand, however nicotine causes decreased blood supply to gums and bone.  There is no real alternative to quitting.  My suggestion is to decrease the smoking over time to none.Best,Dr. Maddahi

Neal Nealis, DDS (retired) · Answer

Dear Sawltydawg, I understand how difficult it is to quit smoking. Watched my parents both die from complications related to smoking. Dad was never able to quit even after having eight toes lopped off. Cigarette smoking is one of the primary factors for implant failure. If smoking is worth the risk of losing your implant, then you make that choice. Most likely it is either quit smoking or lose the implant. Dr. Neal

Smoking after Dental implants and healing? Are there any alternatives to quitting. I'm a truck driver, hard to quit, HELP?????

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Smoking after Dental implants and healing? Are there any alternatives to quitting. I'm a truck driver, hard to quit, HELP?????

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Dental Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.