We’ll start with our position, because you deserve to hear it before a consultation, not after: we don’t place dental implants for active smokers. It isn’t a judgment about you. We just don’t think it’s in your best interest.
An implant asks a lot of your body. Bone has to grow onto it over a few months, and then hold it while you chew, every day, for decades. Smoking works against both. Here’s what the research shows, what we can do for you in the meantime, and where to get free help quitting.
- We don’t place implants for active smokers, because we don’t think it’s in your best interest.
- In a 2021 review of more than 150,000 implants, implants in smokers were about twice as likely to fail, with more bone loss around them.
- Smokers have twice the risk of gum disease, and smoking makes it harder for gums to heal, according to the CDC.
- If you quit, we’d be glad to talk about an implant. In the meantime, we can replace the tooth another way.
- Florida offers free help to quit: 1-877-U-CAN-NOW.
What the research shows
A 2021 systematic review pulled together studies covering more than 150,000 implants. Implants placed in smokers were about twice as likely to fail, with more bone loss around them. That fits what the CDC says about gums: smokers have twice the risk of gum disease, smoking weakens the body’s ability to fight a gum infection, and it makes it harder for gums to heal once they’re damaged.
An implant depends on both: bone to hold it, and healthy gum tissue to seal around it. Smoking undermines the two things it needs most.
Why we hold the line
An implant that fails doesn’t just cost money. Removing it takes bone with it, and the next attempt starts from less. We would rather wait until the odds are on your side than place an implant we don’t expect to last.
What we can do in the meantime
- Replace the tooth another way. Depending on your teeth and gums, a bridge or a removable option can fill the space while you work on quitting.
- Protect the bone you have. If a tooth is coming out, we often recommend a bone graft in the socket so the site is ready for an implant later.
- Keep your gums healthy. Gum disease and smoking travel together. Treating it now protects your other teeth and any future implant. Our guide to what happens after a deep cleaning explains why.
When you’ve quit
We’d be glad to talk about an implant, and the consultation is complimentary. We’ll start where we always do: a 3D scan, a look at your gums and bone, and a plan built around the final tooth. Our post on being a good healer covers the other things that affect how an implant heals, and what we do to help.
We’ll handle the plan, the parts and the precautions. Quitting is the one part we can’t do for you, and we know it’s the hardest.
Free help to quit in Florida
Tobacco Free Florida offers free programs by phone, online and in groups. Call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669) to get started. The phone and online programs include coaching, and you may be eligible for a free four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges if you’re 18 or older and it’s medically appropriate. Your physician can help too.
Summary
Implants in smokers fail about twice as often, so we don’t place them for active smokers. That isn’t the end of the conversation. We can replace the tooth another way now, keep your gums and bone healthy, and plan an implant once you’ve quit. We do our part in the office. Quitting is yours, and there’s free help for it.