Implant Day Smoking: Is It Really Worth Worrying About? It Can Lead to Trouble

There are quite a lot of people who ask about smoking on the day of an implant.

The reason is that some people had a wisdom tooth extracted when they were young and smoked afterward without any issues,

or they have smoked through all kinds of treatments and situations without caring,

so they often think it will be fine.

Of course, there may not be any major problems,

but even so, smoking is not recommended on the day of the implant.

First, slowed healing

After implant surgery,

it is of course better to recover quickly.

If you smoke on the day of the implant, it can affect the healing speed of the wound area.

The components of cigarettes are known harmful substances such as

nicotine and carbon monoxide.

These substances constrict human blood vessels.

As blood flow decreases and oxygen supply becomes limited,

it can interfere at times with the movement of immune cells and nutrients needed for healing.

In implant surgery, the bone and implant need to fuse well,

but in fact, reports show that the failure rate of osseointegration in smokers is up to 2 to 3 times higher than in non-smokers.

When healing is affected,

the graft material may even dissolve,

and if it does not integrate properly, you may end up needing the implant done again,

which can become a major setback.

Second, increased risk of infection

Not only on the day of the implant, but for other surgeries as well,

if you smoke on the day of the procedure, the most obvious risk

is increased infection risk.

Smoking weakens oral immunity,

which raises the likelihood of exposure to infection.

Even if bacteria enter the area where the implant was placed,

your body has less strength to block them.

That is why you need to be careful, as postoperative infection can lead to more serious conditions such as gum inflammation and osteomyelitis.

You may have heard of peri-implantitis, or you may not have.

Peri-implantitis is one of the common complications experienced by people who get implants.

It refers to the bone surrounding the implant slowly dissolving.

It is one of the inflammatory diseases, and if it is left untreated

and a long time passes without you realizing it,

the implant may eventually need to be removed.

If that happens, the implant procedure you invested a long time and a lot of money into

may have to be done again,

which would be an unfortunate outcome.

Is peri-implantitis only seen in smokers?

No, it can also occur in non-smokers, but the incidence among smokers is more than 3 times higher.

If you ignore this, it can spread to systemic inflammation,

so you must absolutely avoid smoking after an implant.

Third, lower surgical success rate

If the surgery was done well after all that effort, but you have to do it again?

How frustrating would that be.

If you have had an implant, you know that it involves not only pain,

but also quite a lot of time and effort going back and forth to the dental clinic.

Smoking lowers the success rate of all this hard work.

The implant success rate for non-smokers is well above 90%,

but for smokers it is around 80% to 85%,

falling short of 90%, and repeat surgeries happen more often.

That is why, although people often ask about smoking on the day of the implant,

we recommend quitting smoking for at least 1 to 2 weeks before the implant procedure.

Pressure changes from inhalation and exhalation

Usually, for implant patients,

we say not to use a straw and not to use mouthwash,

and the reason is dry socket.

Dry socket, also called alveolar osteitis,

is one of the common complications that can occur after tooth extraction or implant procedures.

When a tooth is extracted, a wound is naturally created,

so a scab or blood clot should form,

but pain and inflammation occur when it does not form

or when it comes off.

Since there is nothing left to protect the bone,

the pain can be severe and healing may slow down.

Using a straw to drink can also create pressure in the mouth,

and smoking is the same,

so please keep in mind that the risk of dry socket is very high

if you smoke on the same day.

People also sometimes ask about e-cigarettes,

but e-cigarettes are of course not allowed either.

Today we are talking about smoking on the day of an implant,

but dry socket can also occur in cases of birth control pill use,

so it is a good idea to be careful.

Implant case at Seoul Centum Dental Clinic, Sinsa Station

In conclusion, smoking on the day of an implant

is of course not recommended,

and we recommend not smoking for at least 1 to 2 weeks before and after,

so perhaps it is also a very good opportunity to quit smoking altogether through the implant.

^^!

If you have any other questions,

please call during clinic hours and we will kindly guide you.

Depending on the treatment received and the condition of the teeth,

the recommended no-smoking period may vary.

For simple placement, at least 7 days

If bone grafting was performed, at least 3 to 4 weeks

If a sinus lift was performed, at least 6 to 8 weeks or longer

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, at least 1 to 3 months or longer

we recommend quitting smoking.

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