If you’ve recently gotten dentures, you’re likely excited to start using your new prosthetics to enjoy a variety of healthy delicious foods, smile confidently, and speak clearly. But one thing you shouldn’t do with your beautifully restored teeth is smoke. That’s because even though tobacco products are no longer a threat to your real teeth, they can still harm your oral and overall health, as well as your prosthetics. Here’s a closer look at why quitting tobacco use (yes, even vaping) is ideal, even if you wear dentures!
Faster Healing
Whether you’ve recently gotten implant dentures or if you required extractions to receive traditional prosthetics, your mouth will need some time to heal. While there’s not really a way to speed up this process, if you smoke, vape, or use tobacco products it can certainly slow down the healing process and make it take longer for your mouth to be ready for your final restoration.
Improved Implantation Success
To get implant dentures, your arches will require four or more permanent dental implant posts to be inserted into your jawbone. Over the course of the next few months (typically three to six) these posts will fuse with your jaw via a process known as osseointegration. Unfortunately, improper osseointegration is one of the leading causes of dental implant failure, and smoking will increase your risk of this occurring. Thus, stopping tobacco use is recommended during implant denture treatment, too.
Greater Comfort
When you smoke or use tobacco products, it causes what is known as dry mouth. This can increase your risk of things like bad breath and poor saliva quality. If you have real teeth, it can cause cavities and gum disease, and if you have no remaining natural teeth, not only can it still increase your risk of developing gum disease, but it can also make wearing dentures uncomfortable, preventing them from fitting securely and increasing your risk of developing mouth sores. Thus, quitting can help ensure that your dentures fit as safely, securely and, and comfortably as possible.
Reduced Staining
You probably already know that tobacco products can stain real teeth, but they can also stain dentures, too, discoloring the crowns and even the acrylic used for the base. This can make them look old and worn, even if they’re still relatively new, and can also trap embarrassing odors that can affect your breath as well as the taste of the foods you eat.
Remember, while your new dentures are an excellent way to give your smile a second chance, to make the most of them and keep your mouth healthy and strong, it’s important to abstain from tobacco use of any kind. If you have trouble quitting, speak to your doctor or dentist about your concerns, so they can help you live a long, healthy, tobacco-free life!
About Our Practice
At Meadowvale Family Dentistry, Dr. Mayank Patel and Dr. Ka Biu Ip want to help you have a strong, healthy smile. If you’re ready to replace missing teeth with durable, lifelike dentures, schedule a consultation and let’s get started! To book your denture consultation, visit our website or call 905-821-0011.