Vaping and Dental Implants

It has long been established that smoking cigarettes can ruin your chances for successful dental implants. Patients are asked to stop smoking for a period of time before and after dental implant surgery. But what about “vaping”? Vaping refers to the use of e-cigarettes, the latest alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. It is said that vaping is a healthier and safer option, but is it enough to reduce your risk of implant complications?

While e-cigarettes don’t produce the thousands of chemicals that tobacco cigarettes do, they still contain nicotine. Unfortunately, nicotine is a problem when it comes to your oral health, your body’s ability to heal and dental implant success. The liquid in e-cigarettes may not contain a large amount of nicotine, but it is still present. Here’s a look at what nicotine can do:

Nicotine (regardless of how you inhale it or consume it) is known to reduce bone growth. This is a problem if you are getting dental implants, since the stability of the implant relies on healthy bone in your jaw.

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. When teeth implants are placed, it is imperative for the bone to grow around the implants so that ideal stability is achieved. Nicotine, however, can close down or restrict the capillaries around the implant, which limits blood flow and oxygen to the healing tissues. This can inhibit the bone from growing around the implant as well as sabotage a healthy healing process.

Nicotine can slow down the saliva production. Smoking cigarettes or vaping can result in dry mouth. Without enough saliva in the mouth, harmful bacteria and food particles are more likely to linger. This can lead to decay, irritated gums and even loose teeth. All of these issues can contribute to dental implant failure.

It is likely true that e-cigs and their vapor are not as detrimental to dental implants as regular cigarettes, but the risk is certainly still there. When investing in such an advanced restorative dentistry treatment, it is best to eliminate your risks altogether if possible. Dental implants demand an adequate amount of white and red blood cells so that your tissues can be restored around the implant and fight off any potential infection. Both smoking cigarettes and vaping can threaten an ideal outcome. For more specific guidance on preparing dental implant surgery, please contact Dr. Wayne Suway in Marietta.