Smokers Have a Higher Risk of Tooth Loss than Non-Smokers

It has been common knowledge for many years that the body’s ability to heal itself and recover from surgery is significantly hindered by the use of tobacco. It is for this reason that surgeons often require patients who need to undergo major surgery quit smoking 6 months prior to their surgery date. But did you know that recent studies have confirmed that regular smokers also have a significantly increased risk of tooth loss too?

According to the Journal of Dental Research the association between smoking and the incidence of tooth loss was stronger in men than women, and also stronger in younger versus older individuals. Researchers found female smokers were 2.5 times more likely to lose their teeth than a nonsmoker, while males smokers were 3.6 times more likely to lose their teeth. These findings were independent of other risk factors such as diabetes, and were based on 23,376 participants in three different age groups.

Most teeth are lost as a result of either severe tooth decay or periodontal disease. It has been common knowledge for many years that smoking is a strong risk factor for periodontal disease, so that may go a long way toward explaining the higher rate of tooth loss in smokers.

The good news is that researchers also found that smoking cessation was consistently associated with a reduction in tooth loss risk, with the risk of tooth loss approaching that of people who have never smoked after 10-20 years of cessation.



About the Author: Dr. Anthony Dailley is a practicing general dentist in Berkeley California. He has been practicing since 1981 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Cell & Molecular Biology, and obtained his dental degree from the Pacific School of Dentistry. Dr. Dailley also holds a fellowship position with the International Congress of Oral Implantologist (ICOI). Dr. Dailley has also been a founder in a biotech company called NovaBay Pharmaceuticals and was a member of their board of directors from 1997-2014.  

The Risks of Smoking & Your Dental Implants

If you smoke, you are opening your mouth to all kinds of different dangerous oral conditions. And, if you are pursuing treatment with dental implants, your treatment may actually fail because of your habit.

One of the worst possible habits you could have for your teeth is smoking. Not only does smoking have many negative cosmetic effects on your teeth, such as severe tooth discoloration and bad breath, but it can also lead to much more serious problems, which include gum disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer. And, if you are a smoker who is trying to replace any missing teeth with dental implants, your habit could actually prevent your treatment from being a success. Today, Anthony Dailley DDS is blogging from Berkeley, CA to talk about how smoking can affect your dental implant treatment.

Protect Your Dental Implants by Giving Up Smoking

Smoking can actually affect your dental implants ability to heal. During the procedure, an implant fixture is placed in the empty space left behind by your missing tooth. While healing, a process called osseointegration occurs, which works to integrate your implant with the bone in your jaw. This process, however, can be stopped or hindered by inflammation of the tissues around the implant fixture, causing the implant to fail. This is called peri-implantitis and, while it can occur in any dental implant patient, it tends to occur much more frequently in patients who smoke.

It is also much more difficult for dental implants to heal and integrate with the bone in smokers because smoking can slow the circulation of blood in your body, making it much more difficult for your body to naturally heal itself. It is also possible for the nicotine inside of cigarettes to damage the tissues that make up your jaw, teeth, gums, and facial muscles. This damage can result in even more missing teeth for our patients who smoke, further exacerbating their condition. Not only that, but smoking can even increase the rate at which your jawbone deteriorates, which comes with its own threat of missing teeth.

Not only can jawbone deterioration result in even more missing teeth, but it can also have many negative effects on your facial structure. This occurs because our jawbone and teeth play a large part in determining our facial appearance. When your jawbone deteriorates, you are losing the support your face needs to maintain its shape. One symptom of this is that your cheeks may begin to appear hollow, giving your face a “sunken appearance”. It is also common for the skin around your jawline to prematurely wrinkle. As a result of these effects, patients suffering from jawbone deterioration tend to be described as appearing aged or unhealthy.

As you can see, it is very important that you give up smoking before moving forward with your dental implant treatment. While this treatment can be a success for patients who smoke, the rate of failure is simply much higher. For this reason, we highly recommend people who smoke to consider finally putting an end to their smoking days. If you would like to learn more about dental implants and what makes a good candidate for treatment with them, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with Dr. Anthony Dailley, today.

About the author: Dr. Anthony Dailley is a practicing general dentist in Berkeley California. He has been practicing since 1981 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Cell & Molecular Biology, and obtained his dental degree from the Pacific School of Dentistry. Dr. Dailley also holds a fellowship position with the International Congress of Oral Implantologist (ICOI). Dr. Dailley has also been a founder in a biotech company called NovaBay Pharmaceuticals and was a member of their board of directors from 1997 -2014.

Replace that Missing Tooth with a Dental Implant, Tiger!

 Tiger Woods recently made the trip out to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in order to surprise his girlfriend, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn. Vonn was set to compete in the Alpine Skiing World Cup being held there, and was about to race the super-G for what would hopefully be her 63rd career World Cup win. During a rush at the podium after the race, a man with a shoulder mounted video camera stood and turned suddenly, causing his camera to collide with Woods’ face. This impact chipped one of Woods’ teeth and completely knocked out another. Despite the accident, Vonn was pleasantly surprised to see her boyfriend following her big win.

With dental implants, it is possible for Tiger Woods and our many teeth restoration patients to replace their missing teeth with beautiful restorations that function and feel just like natural teeth. Dental implants are titanium stakes that perfectly replicate natural tooth roots. This is possible because a process called osseointegration occurs, which is the acceptance of the implant by the body as a natural part of your oral anatomy. This process is possible because titanium is a metal that isn’t recognized by the body as a foreign material.

Dental implants receive many benefits because of osseointegration. For instance, dental implants are comfortable and reliable because they are held permanently in place by your jaw structure. In fact, dental implants use the same method your natural teeth do to work properly and stay in place. Dental implants also require no additional maintenance in order to stay healthy and strong. You will merely brush and floss your implants regularly, just like you do your natural teeth. So long as you are sure to take care of them, your dental implants can last you a lifetime.

 Call and Schedule a Consultation in Berkeley, CA

Because of how great of a treatment dental implants offer, it’s safe to say that Tiger Woods will be enjoying a new, restored smile very soon. And, since dental implants are carefully matched to each patients remaining natural teeth, chances are high no one will even be able to tell which tooth he had replaced. If you would like to learn more about the dental implant process or find out if you might be a good candidate for dental implant treatment, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a no-obligation consultation with dental implant provider Dr. Anthony Dailley today at 510-848-0114.

About the author: Dr. Anthony Dailley is a practicing general dentist in Berkeley California. He has been practicing since 1981 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Cell & Molecular Biology, and obtained his dental degree from the Pacific School of Dentistry. Dr. Dailley has also been a founder in a biotech company called NovaBay Pharmaceuticals and was a member of their board of directors from 1997 -2014.

Implants and Their Benefits

 One of the areas of dentistry where some of the greatest technological advances have taken place in the last 10 years has been in the field of implant dentistry. In the past when a tooth was lost there were two options on how to replace it. One was to replace the tooth with a removal partial denture that was both cumbersome and awkward in the mouth. It was also not very cosmetically appealing and often times the metal clasps would show. The second method was to place a bridge that was not removable but did require preparing or shaving down the adjacent teeth on either side of the missing tooth space. A false tooth was attached between the two anchor or abutment teeth. On our web site is a short video demonstrating how a bridge works. The problem with this technique is a two or more perfectly good tooth had to be shaved down, and once the bridge was permanently cemented into place there was no way to floss in between the teeth as you normally would. A special device called floss threader is used to thread the floss in between the false tooth and the anchor teeth.

Implants have been around for decades but in the last 20 years there has been much research and advancements made in the area of the biomechanics and biomaterials of dental implantology. Implants are typically made of special titanium that has a special coating on it that promotes the growth or integration of bone to the implant itself. It is through this mechanism that the bone attaches to the implant. When a tooth is lost there is a natural loss of bone that takes place in the area where the tooth once was. This can result in a poor cosmetic outcome or there may even be insufficient bone available to allow an implant to be placed. These days there are many choices the doctor has to perform bone grafts and provide additional needed bone if necessary. The bone used for bone grafting is typically a freeze-dried bone that has been rendered in such that it can be used on anybody without the worry of rejection or disease. Today when a tooth has to be removed a bone graft is often placed in the socket of the tooth after it has been extracted in order to preserve bone so that an implant can be later placed in the same area. Implants offer many advantages over removable partial dentures and prosthetic bridges, and have a very predictable outcome. They provide a superior cosmetic result, preserve bone where the tooth was lost, provide an easily cleansable area that can be easily flossed, and eliminate the need to unnecessarily prepare adjacent teeth.

The process of replacing a missing tooth with an implant retained prosthetic crown is very straightforward and predictable. Following the removal of the tooth the doctor must allow 3-4 months time to pass to allow for new bone to fill in where the old tooth root once existed. This is true whether a bone graft is placed or not. Sometimes an implant can be placed at the same time the tooth is removed. Once it is deemed that the bone has filled in sufficiently a small hole is drilled into the bone  and an implant is placed within the space and the surrounding  bone is allowed to grow and integrate with the implant. A small healing cap is placed on top of the implant during this healing phase, and this process typically takes 3-4 months. A short video of an implant placementcan be seen on our web site Since bone has no nerve endings in it there is surprisingly very minimal discomfort, if any, following the procedure. Most of our patients will take one ibuprofen when they leave our office and that will be the last pain relieving medication they need to take after that. There is also no swelling. After the 3-4 month period of bone growth has passed the healing cap that was covering the top of the implant is removed and an implant abutment is screwed into the implant and a crown is placed permanently over the abutment. This process can be seen on a short animated video on our web site. Once completed an implant will function and look just like a natural tooth. In order to maintain them properly implants do require very good oral hygiene and regular check ups.

About the author: Dr. Anthony Dailley is a practicing general dentist in Berkeley California. He has been practicing since 1981 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Cell & Molecular Biology, and obtained his dental degree from the Pacific School of Dentistry. Dr. Dailley has also been a founder in a biotech company called NovaBay Pharmaceuticals and was a member of their board of directors from 1997 -2014.