This article describes the effect that smoking has upon the success of dental implants to heal properly and remain supported by the jaw bone.
Implant Dentistry in Green Bay: A Profile
Implant dentistry in Green Bay is a specialized field that focuses on the placement of non-removable artificial teeth, namely dental implants, in patients that present with missing teeth. The ability of dental implants in Green Bay to biologically fuse with bone tissue, a process termed ‘osseointegration’, has led to their incredible success as a teeth replacement solution. These ingenious dental devices get all the support they need to remain permanently in your mouth by emerging directly from the jaw bone. As a result, dental implants in Green Bay are free-standing and this enables them to function and feel just like natural healthy teeth, without modifying or damaging the teeth adjacent to them (www.implantdentistgreenbay.com).
Implant dentistry in Green Bay involves the placement of these devices into predrilled sockets in the jaw bone and the subsequent affixing of a ceramic tooth crown to the top of it. In some cases, the dental implant can even be placed in the socket at the time a tooth is extracted. This crown is fabricated to be virtually indistinguishable from the tooth it is replacing. Overall, implant dentistry in Green Bay enjoys massive success in the restoration of smiles that were seemingly irreparable to the decay, damage and subsequent tooth loss they have sustained. But if there is one demon that substantially compromises this success, it is many of the 4,000 chemical compounds created by burning and smoking cigarettes.
Ensure the Success of Your Dental Implants in Green Bay
The connection between tobacco use and your general health is well-researched and documented in medical literature. So, there is really no need for a verbal tirade about the hazards of smoking here. What would be more interesting is to learn of the results of a study that was conducted at the University of Murcia in Spain in 2007. In order to test the impacts of smoking on the success of implant dentistry in Green Bay, 66 patients agreed to have their oral health documented over a five year period. During the study time, the patients had an accumulated total of 165 implants placed. The results were:
- Non-smokers: 1.4% of the implants placed in non-smokers failed, but 98.6% were a success!
- Smokers: 15.8% of the implants placed in smokers failed: This essentially means that dental implants are 11 times more likely to fail if you are a smoker!
The results were astounding, and from the Department of Periodontology, Dr Arturo Sanchez Perez explained that three things influenced the success of implant dentistry in Green Bay:
(1) Smokers are more likely to develop an infection subsequent to the placement of dental implants in Green Bay. This may require the implant dentist to remove them in order to eliminate the bacterial infection.
(2) Smoking reduces the flow of blood to the hard tissue in the jaw (bone) and the soft tissues in the mouth. This impedes the ability of the dental implant to undergo osseointegration with the jaw bone and to heal properly. It is this reduced blood flow that increases a patient’s risk of developing an infection as a result of implant dentistry in Green Bay.
(3) Smoking prolongs the healing time required for implant dentistry in Green Bay. Subsequently, patients can more easily damage the young fusion between the titanium implant and the underlying jaw bone through simple actions such as eating and chewing.
Implant Dentistry in Green Bay: The Take Home Message
If you are considering implant dentistry in Green Bay, then you should really do what it takes to stop smoking: not only for your oral health but for your general health and wellness (www.cosmeticdentistrygreenbaywisconsin.com).