Smoking and oral health typically do not go hand in hand. When you smoke, you increase your risk of cancer, especially oral cancer. Smoking also tends to decrease your oral hygiene, causing issues with your tongue, teeth, and breath. You may even find yourself needing major dental work due to your habits with tobacco products. If you are getting teeth pulled and want to get a dental implant put in its place, you should consider kicking the smoking habit first. Here are three reasons to stop smoking before getting dental implant surgery. 

You won't stain the dental implants

Dental implants can be selected to match the current color of your teeth. Once you get dental implants, you will need to take care not to get them stained, as they can become discolored like regular teeth. Often, the dental implants will be more resistant to whitening than other teeth, meaning that if they become discolored it can be permanent. If you want to make sure that your implant matches the rest of your teeth for good, you should stop smoking or ingesting tobacco products. 

Your implants won't have an increased risk of infection

During the implant process, your gums will need to be opened in order to properly station the implant. Any open wound on your body leaves you at risk for infection. Smoking increases the possibility of issues with healing and possible infection. Smoking several days after your implant will also irritate the affected area and prevent your gums from healing. Prior to getting your dental implants placed, you should stop smoking for good. Anti-smoking patches are a good choice since they do not require you to inhale any type of foreign property. You can ask a dental office, like Alliance Family Dental, for more tips on how to kick the habit to decrease the risk of infection.

You can stop further dental issues

Getting dental implants to replace teeth that needed to be removed can just be the first step in your return to good oral health. If you are a smoker, there is a chance that you may suffer from bad breath, gingivitis, and other tooth issues. If you stop smoking you can stop the degradation of your tooth and mouth health. Quitting tobacco and beginning a routine of properly brushing, flossing, and using antibacterial mouthwash can improve your oral health. If you continue to smoke, you could develop further gum issues that could cause your implant to fail due to gum disease. Once you stop smoking, you can work on getting your health to where it should be.