Study Shows Smoking Increases Chances Of Dental Implant Failures

Dr. Marc Salomone D.D.S

The introduction of dental implants to dentistry revolutionized the way people treated lost teeth. They are preferred by many and have replaced dentures as they are more comfortable and appeal aesthetically.  Dental implants are a blessing for many who are looking for a suitable replacement for their lost teeth.

Basically, the lost tooth is replaced by an implant which is made up of a material which closely resembles natural teeth.

A titanium screw is inserted in to the jaw bone to which it fuses (osseointegration). This titanium screw serves as an anchor point which supports the entire artificial tooth. The artificial tooth is coated with hydroxypatite which is also present in natural tooth.

Now, coming to the effects of smoking on dental implants.

BBC news reported the findings of a research done by dentists across Europe which studied the rejection of dental devices and procedures by patients. The study has found the smoking increases the probability of rejection of a dental implant by the human body. Although, rejection of a dental implant occurs in few cases, smoking increases this risk considerably. This finding is not completely new though. Many dentists have reported lower success rates of dental implants in smokers.

Let us now look at the reason for this failure. An ideal candidate for the implant procedure requires good healing and blood flow to make sure the gums heal properly. Smoking considerably affects the healing ability of the body and reduces the blood flow as well. Good blood flow is required for effective healing of the gum tissue. Due to this various factors, the likelihood for rejection of the implant increases.

It’s just not the implants that are affected by smoking. Other dental procedures such as tooth extraction and dental fillings (restorations were also effected). 
Smoking also makes antibiotics and creams less effective before and during dental treatments. Some stats by ADA that support this claim in another study are: “32% of smokers needed to have a filling replaced, 10.1% needed a tooth extraction and 22.5% needed a major dental cleaning because of periodontal disease”.

The good part is that kicking this habit reduces these effects. The healing ability and blood flow slowly begins to return to normal levels and few studies have showed that normal levels can be regained after several years of quitting.

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Wisdom Teeth: Preventive Removal Is Best

Dr. Robert L. Bass D.D.S.

Your wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth to emerge from your gums during your late teens, or "age of wisdom", which gives them their name. But wisdom teeth are not really so wise. They often become impacted or trapped in the jaw bone and gums and fail to erupt as straight and fully functioning teeth. Impacted wisdom teeth nearly always have to be removed. Example of impacted wisdom teeth can be seen in the following graphics

Why do we have wisdom teeth at all if they have to be removed so often? Human beings once had tougher diets. As our diets became softer and more refined, we no longer needed jaws for strenuous chewing. The jaws failed to develop, leaving little room for third molars. In addition, due to mixing of gene pools, some adults never develop wisdom teeth at all and some end up with more teeth than jaw. Perhaps in the distant future, we won't have to worry about them at all. Today, most people experience at least one impacted wisdom tooth.

Why Remove Wisdom Teeth? Wisdom teeth that are not painful seem harmless enough. But if they are not removed early, they often cause problems such as:

1. INFECTION (PERIOCORONTIS): The mouth is full of bacteria that normally do not get past the protective layer of gums. But when an impacted tooth breaks through the gum surface, bacteria can get in causing an infection in the gums around the crown of the tooth. This infection can cause severe pain, swelling, jaw stiffness, and even general illness.
2. DESTRUCTION OF THE NEXT TOOTH: An impacted tooth may still try to grow where it has no room, eroding the tooth next to it. This is called RESORBTION. Eventually, this could lead to the loss of both teeth.
3. PAIN: Infection in a decayed wisdom tooth or in the gum around an impacted tooth can cause pain. If a decayed wisdom tooth is not situated in a healthy position, or if it is not restorable, we may recommend its removal. An impacted tooth can also cause pain if it presses against a nerve or the next tooth.
4. CROWDING: An impacted tooth can crowd nearby molars out of alignment. If you are undergoing orthodontic care, we may recommend that your impacted wisdom teeth be removed.
5. CYSTS: When a tooth is impacted, the sac of tissue around the crown remains in the bone. Occasionally, the sac fills with fluid forming a cyst that can readily destroy or enlarge the bone and endanger surrounding structures.

Why Early Removal? Before you reach adulthood, the roots of your teeth are not totally formed and the surrounding bone is softer. Therefore, there is less chance of damaging nerves and other nearby structures during surgery. The operation itself may be more difficult as you get older. The risks are greater and the healing is slower. If you wait until your wisdom teeth cause you trouble, you may have to be treated for complications such as infection, before they can be removed. In short, early removal of your wisdom teeth is likely to prevent problems later on. In addition, we may recommend that opposing healthy wisdom teeth be removed at the same time if they are impending on the opposing jaw. A recently completed clinical study of more than 9,500 patients revels that the optimal time for extraction is between the ages of 12 and 24 years. In general, difficulties increase with age.

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New Research Reveals Elderly People Who Lose Their Teeth May Be At Increased Risk For Dementia

Dr. Marc Salomone D.D.S

The new study included more than 4,000 Japanese participants, 65 and older, who underwent a dental examination and a psychiatric assessment. Compared with participants who still had many of their natural teeth, those with fewer or no teeth were much more likely to have experienced some memory loss or have early-stage Alzheimer's disease. 

The findings were published online last month in Behavioral and Brain Functions. Participants with symptoms of memory loss tended to report that they had visited the dentist rarely, if at all.

Dr Nozomi Okamoto, the study's principal investigator, said that this may be one explanation for the study's findings but suggested that there may be other links between tooth loss and memory problems. She said: 'Infections in the gums that can lead to tooth loss may release inflammatory substances, which in turn will enhance the brain inflammation that cause neuronal death and hasten memory loss. ‘The loss of sensory receptors around the teeth is linked to some of the dying neurons.'

This may lead to a vicious cycle, Okamoto explained. The loss of these brain connections can cause more teeth to fall out, further contributing to cognitive decline. A few months back, researchers elsewhere discovered that gum disease can affect the brain in elderly patients. This, they concluded, can happen by causing inflammation throughout the body, a risk factor for loss of mental function.

The study, based on adults aged 60 and older, found those with the highest levels of the gum disease-causing pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis were three times more likely to have trouble recalling a three-word sequence after a period of time. The research was led by Dr James Noble at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. It also found that adults with the highest levels of this pathogen were two times more likely to fail three-digit reverse subtraction tests.

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