Cigarettes and Implants

Question:  I’ve smoked cigarettes since I was a teenager. It’s hard to quit because I enjoy smoking and perhaps it helps me cope with life too. The thought of quitting scares me and makes me want to find a place to hide.

However, I have a problem with my teeth. I saw a dentist and she said I needed an upper denture because my remaining upper teeth – my upper six front teeth, are quite loose – well the eyeteeth are ok but my four front teeth are loose. I had a partial made but that just makes me gag so I can’t wear it.

Since I lost my upper back teeth, I’m putting more pressure on my front teeth and they’re starting to move, so I’m quite bucked now. My bite is closed so my lower teeth are almost touching my gums. I saw another dentist and he said I didn’t have a good palate shape for a denture, so I’d need to see a dental surgeon who would cut my gums and push the bone up somehow, to give me a better palate for holding in a denture. That grossed me out and would that help the gag reflex?

Another dentist said he could put posts in after my front teeth were out, but he couldn’t see me for several months. I’m getting worried about this, so is there anything to be done. Getting posts seems like the way to go but I don’t know how that works.

Answer: When we visit with people who enjoy smoking, we must work very closely together when it comes to surgery. Placing posts, as you call them, means placing implants. Though some people get away with smoking through the healing of their implants, it can be a problem and contribute to unsuccessful or inadequate healing. Implants will last indefinitely if the conditions are right.

When healthy people (and that includes diabetics who are stabilized) receive implants, they are extremely well tolerated, heal relatively quickly and provide tremendous anchorage for crowns, bridges, partials, full dentures, etc.

In your case, if you can quit for four months, you can have implants. You need about three weeks before surgery and three months after surgery, to guarantee (95% guarantee rate) great bone integration of your implants. If you’ve got adequate bone around your existing upper front teeth, that will allow implant placement once the teeth are removed. At that same appointment, teeth will be attached, giving you a nice smile and the ability to chew your food.

We do this on a regular basis for people of all ages that find themselves in similar circumstances as yourself.