This case illustrates the implications of smoking and dental implants. Brian from Hyndland in Glasgow was referred to Dr Murphy for dental implants by his dentist in Glasgow’s West End.
He had been struggling to adjust to a removable, acrylic denture which he found loose and uncomfortable.
Dr Murphy first placed two dental implants which you can see here.
He then added abutments and fitted porcelain implant crowns.
Matching Dental Implant Crowns in the Lab
As you can see, the appearance of Brian’s teeth was affected by a history of smoking which causes long-term staining.
However we managed to achieve a perfect match between the new crowns and the old ones with the help of our porcelain ceramicist. Our dental laboratory partners are very good at matching porcelain crowns to the patient’s own teeth.
Brian has now given up smoking to prolong the life of his dental implants and remaining teeth.
Dental Implants and Smoking
Care for your teeth is not the only reason to give up smoking but getting dental implants might be enough to push some people towards giving up cigarettes. Research into implants and smoking has suggested smoking cigarettes leads to more bone loss around dental implants.
This is particularly true where there is peri-implantitis – an inflammation and infection of the gum and bone to which the implants are attached. This ultimately can lead to accelerated implant loss.
If the idea of completely and suddenly stopping smoking seems a tall order, how about consulting your doctor about a supported stop smoking programme? The NHS has a Smokefree support programme.
At the very least it is a good idea to stop smoking a week before the implant surgery and a couple of weeks afterwards. The best solution of course is to give up completely and this is what Brian did. Implants and smoking just don’t mix.