Can you get dental implants if you smoke?

Often, yes, but the risk is higher. A 2013 meta-analysis found smokers were about 1.9 times as likely to have an implant fail. Your dentist will usually ask you to stop around surgery, and stopping for good gives the implant its best chance.

Can I smoke after dental implants?

It is best not to. Smoking slows healing in the first weeks and raises the risk of gum problems around the implant for as long as you have it.

Does vaping affect dental implants?

There is far less research on vaping than on cigarettes, so it should not be assumed to be safe. Tell your dentist if you vape, how often and whether the liquid contains nicotine.

Can diabetics have dental implants?

Often, yes. Reviews find that people with well-controlled diabetes often do about as well as people without it. Poorly controlled diabetes is linked to more complications, so your control usually matters more than the diagnosis.

Can I have All-on-4 if I smoke or have diabetes?

Possibly. The same factors apply, and they matter more because several implants depend on healing at the same time. It is decided after a CBCT scan and a review of your medical history.

Can I have implants if I take osteoporosis medication?

Tell your dentist before anything is planned. Bone-strengthening medicines such as bisphosphonates and denosumab can change how surgery is planned, so your dentist may want to speak to your doctor. Do not stop them yourself.

Betadent · Antalya, Türkiye

Can You Have Dental Implants if You Smoke or Have Diabetes?

Written by Dt. Şerife Kalken · Reviewed by Dt. Müslüm Mevlüdoğlu · 20 September 2026

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A transparent jaw model with dental implants — Illustrative image; not a Betadent patient result.

Smoking

Linked to about twice the risk of implant failure

Diabetes

Good control matters more than the diagnosis

Before You Travel

Tell your dentist and send your latest results

Work Out Your Own Total Ask on WhatsApp

The Short Answer

Do Smoking and Diabetes Rule Out Dental Implants?

Often not, but both change the risk and the plan. Research links smoking with about twice the risk of implant failure. With diabetes, the deciding factor is control: people with well-controlled diabetes often do about as well as people without it, while poor control raises the risk of complications.

This page is general information, not a diagnosis or an individual recommendation. Your dentist decides what is safe for you after seeing your scan and your medical history, and the plan may involve your own doctor. If you are travelling for treatment, have that conversation before you book a flight.

Smoking

Dental Implants and Smoking

A 2013 meta-analysis in PLoS ONE pooled 33 studies on smoking and found that smokers were about 1.9 times as likely to have an implant fail as non-smokers (relative risk 1.92). That does not mean an implant in a smoker will fail. It means the odds are worse, and they are worth improving.

The reason is blood supply. Smoking narrows the blood vessels, which slows healing around the implant and makes gum problems more likely. The Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation says smokers have two to four times the incidence of periodontitis, peri-implant mucositis and post-operative complications.

How long should you stop smoking before implants?

Advice varies between sources. The Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation recommends stopping at least six weeks before and eight weeks after implant surgery, and says that lets patients achieve results similar to non-smokers. It also recommends stopping completely if you can, ideally through the end of treatment. Ask your dentist what they want for your case, and use your GP or a stop-smoking service for support.

What about vaping?

There is far less research on vaping and implants than on cigarettes, so do not assume it is safe. Tell your dentist if you vape, how often and whether the liquid contains nicotine.

All of this applies to bigger plans too. Smoking raises the stakes on full mouth dental implants, where several implants depend on healing at once.

Diabetes

Dental Implants and Diabetes

Diabetes on its own does not rule out implants. The 2013 meta-analysis found no significant link between diabetes and implant failure, although it included only five studies, so its authors called for more research (relative risk 0.90).

More recent work points to control as the real issue. A 2026 review of 54 studies in BMC Oral Health, as reported by Dentaltown, found survival in people with diabetes was often above 90 to 95%. Poorly controlled diabetes, defined as an HbA1c above 8%, was linked to worse outcomes, including more bone loss and inflammation around the implant. People with an HbA1c of 7% or lower often had outcomes similar to people without diabetes.

What HbA1c do you need for dental implants?

There is no single agreed cut-off, and the number is not the only thing a dentist looks at. Treat the figures above as a guide to what the research describes, not as a rule. Expect to be asked for a recent HbA1c result, and to be asked to improve your control first if it is high.

Gum health matters too. Diabetes and gum disease tend to make each other worse, so any gum disease needs treating before implants go in. Ask your diabetes team how to manage your medication and meals around surgery.

Other Conditions

Implant Risk at a Glance

The figures are pooled relative risks of implant failure from the 2013 meta-analysis, where one means no difference. The last column is what to raise with your dentist.

Factor	What the research found	What to do
Smoking	Higher risk (1.92)	Stop before and after surgery, or stop for good
Diabetes	No significant link overall (0.90), but poor control worsens outcomes	Send a recent HbA1c result
Radiotherapy to the head or neck	Higher risk (2.28)	Tell your dentist before anything is planned
Osteoporosis	No significant link (1.09), though the authors called for more research	Mention any bone-strengthening medicines

Medicines to mention

Tell your dentist about everything you take. Bone-strengthening medicines such as bisphosphonates and denosumab, and blood thinners, are especially important because they can change how surgery is planned. Do not stop any prescribed medicine yourself: ask the doctor who prescribed it.

What to Send

What to Send Before You Travel

The more we know before you book, the less likely you are to have a wasted trip. A dentist reviews it at no charge.

A Recent X-ray and Photos

A panoramic X-ray from your own dentist and clear photos of your teeth.

Your Medical History

Any conditions, past surgery and radiotherapy, even if it seems unrelated to your teeth.

A Full List of Medicines

Everything you take, including injections and anything you stopped recently.

Your Latest HbA1c Result

If you have diabetes, with the date of the test.

Your Smoking or Vaping Habits

How much, for how long, and whether you could stop around treatment. Be honest: it changes the advice, not the welcome.

Your Plan

What May Change in Your Treatment Plan

Timing

Your dentist may ask you to stop smoking or improve your diabetes control first. Implants already mean two trips, so the dates are planned around that.

Gum Treatment First

Inflamed gums are treated before anything is placed.

Grafts

A bone graft or sinus lift relies on good healing, so these may be weighed differently for you.

Specialist Options

Heavy smoking, uncontrolled diabetes or certain medicines make larger surgery such as zygomatic implants riskier. These are assessed individually.

Other Ways to Replace Teeth

If surgery is not advisable, a bridge or denture may be the better choice.

Long-Term Care

Regular hygiene visits matter more for you, whichever treatment you choose. See our implant aftercare guide.

Honest Answers

What We Would Rather Tell You Now

Before you commit

We may say “not yet”. If your health makes surgery unwise right now, we would rather delay than place an implant that is likely to struggle.
Stopping only for surgery helps, but it is not the whole story. The risk around an implant lasts as long as the implant does.
Do not leave things out of your history. Undisclosed smoking or a high HbA1c does not go away. It just stops your dentist from planning around it.
Distance makes healing problems harder. Between visits you are at home, so you need a local dentist you can see, and a clinic you can reach on WhatsApp.
Implants can still fail in healthy non-smokers. Read the signs of implant failure so you know what to look for.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get dental implants if you smoke?
Often, yes, but the risk is higher. A 2013 meta-analysis found smokers were about 1.9 times as likely to have an implant fail. Your dentist will usually ask you to stop around surgery, and stopping for good gives the implant its best chance.
How long should I stop smoking before dental implants?
Advice varies. The Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation recommends stopping at least six weeks before and eight weeks after implant surgery. Follow the advice your own dentist gives you for your case.
Can I smoke after dental implants?
It is best not to. Smoking slows healing in the first weeks and raises the risk of gum problems around the implant for as long as you have it.
Does vaping affect dental implants?
There is far less research on vaping than on cigarettes, so it should not be assumed to be safe. Tell your dentist if you vape, how often and whether the liquid contains nicotine.
Can diabetics have dental implants?
Often, yes. Reviews find that people with well-controlled diabetes often do about as well as people without it. Poorly controlled diabetes is linked to more complications, so your control usually matters more than the diagnosis.
What HbA1c do you need for dental implants?
There is no single agreed cut-off. A 2026 review linked an HbA1c above 8% with worse outcomes, and found that people at 7% or lower often did about as well as people without diabetes. Your dentist will decide with you, and may involve your diabetes team.
Can I have All-on-4 if I smoke or have diabetes?
Possibly. The same factors apply, and they matter more because several implants depend on healing at the same time. It is decided after a CBCT scan and a review of your medical history.
Can I have implants if I take osteoporosis medication?
Tell your dentist before anything is planned. Bone-strengthening medicines such as bisphosphonates and denosumab can change how surgery is planned, so your dentist may want to speak to your doctor. Do not stop them yourself.