Implants and smoking

[Thomas]

I smoke 20 cigarettes a day and have been smoking for over 25 years. Can you tell me if I can have dental implants or not?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

Dental Implantology usually has a high success rate of around 95% or so. However smoking significantly increases the risk of implant failure.

Smoking increases the risk of gum disease developing which will result in teeth and implants becoming loose and being lost. Smokers are around 2-3 times more likely to develop gum disease and they are more likely to experience more severe gum disease.

Also smoking increases the risk of post-surgery complications which results in slower healing. Smoking cessation will result in improved gum health and improve a patients chance for successful implant and bone integration.


At Pearl Dental Clinic we ask our patients to stop smoking for two months prior to Implant placement and remain smoke free during the healing period.

Ideally patients should give up smoking all together in order to avoid all sorts of health problems.