Smoking and Implants – Dr Keith Cohen answers
June 17th, 2010Question: I have been told that I cannot have implants as I smoke – and even if I gave up it would be at least a year before I could – is this true?
Answer: Smoking does reduce the success rate for implants and with regards to surgical procedures, it can produce complications, so to an extent this is true. Having said this, a number of other elements need to be considered, for example, how much you smoke, and over what time period, your general medical health and whether or not the procedure is likely to be straightforward – which will depend upon how much bone there is in which to place the implant. Another dentist may be prepared to carry out the treatment, depending upon your situation, so it may be worth asking for an opinion from a ‘dental specialist’. If you are determined to proceed, and a dentist is willing to carry out the treatment, you need to accept that there may be ‘reduced success’ which means that one or more implants might not integrate and need to be removed or replaced.
