Study Says: Smoking Can Lead to Dental Implants Failing

It’s safe to say that dental implants paved the way regarding teeth replacement. Seniors especially benefitted from the advent of dental implants since dentures left patients without the ability to chew many foods—their widespread use was inevitable and changed many facets of dentistry.

Using titanium screws, implants are fused with the jawbone, a process that connects the implant and something called an abutment, which secures the crown. Dental implants provide stability for the jaw bone without harming teeth, bolstering a success rate of 97 percent long term.

The Study

While dental implants are highly recommended and are used more than other tooth replacement options, the state of the implant itself is not invincible. Specifically, dentistry researchers have begun warning dental implant users and candidates about the consequences smoking presents to those implants, including the increased likelihood of a patient’s dental implant failing.

Out of Spain’s University of Murcia, a team of researchers performed a study specifically targeting the relationship between smoking and its effects on dental implants. The researchers observed a total of 66 patients for five full years after receiving a combined 165 implants, following and charting the patients’ progress as they went. Once the study had been completed, the rate of implant failure in smokers came to 15.8 percent whereas the failure rate for nonsmokers was only 1.4 percent.

The Risks of Smoking

Per Dr. Arturo Sanchez Perez, who worked on this study, "People who smoke are at greater risk of infection following surgery and may heal more slowly. When an implant is placed in a smoker, it is more likely to fail."

Dental implants, which are surgically placed in the lower or upper jaw, work as anchors for the replacement teeth and are made with materials compatible with the body. As with anything smoking related, however, implants as well as the bone and tissue surrounding them can suffer from consistent tobacco use.

Implant Surgery

Depending on the circumstances, the surgery for dental implants can be performed either at a hospital or a dentist’s office, meaning it can call for a general or a local anesthetic. Oftentimes, pain medication or even antibiotics are prescribed for the patient after surgery. As well, the patient’s dentist provides instructions for his or her diet as well as oral health care.

Since implants involve surgery, the patients must be healthy, have satisfactory bone support for one or more implants, possess healthy gums, and have a meticulous oral health care routine that involves regular trips to the dentist. For those who are considering dental implants, a full dental evaluation should help determine whether they are good candidates.

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