Stopping smoking before All-on-6
If you smoke, the single most useful thing you can do for your implants is to stop, ideally weeks before the first trip and for good afterwards. Here is why surgeons ask, what the evidence says, and where to get free help.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums and bone and slows healing. Research has found that implants in smokers fail more often than in non-smokers, and smoking is also linked to inflammation around implants later. Surgeons usually ask patients to stop before surgery and stay stopped during healing; stopping for good gives the best long-term chance. The NHS offers free support to quit, including stop smoking services and advice on nicotine replacement.
Nobody likes being told to stop smoking, and many people who come for All-on-6 have heard it many times before. This is not a lecture. It is an explanation of why implant surgeons care so much about it, so that you can make your own decision with the facts, and a practical plan if you decide to try.
Why smoking matters for implants
An implant succeeds when bone grows onto its surface and the gum heals tightly around it. Both depend on a good blood supply. Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums, delivers carbon monoxide in place of oxygen and slows the cells that repair tissue. The result is slower healing, a higher chance of infection after surgery and, in the long term, a higher chance of the inflammation around implants that damages bone.
The research reflects this. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Dentistry in 2015 pooled many studies and found that implants placed in smokers failed significantly more often than those in non-smokers, and that smoking was also associated with more post-operative infections and more bone loss around implants. The British Society of Periodontology lists smoking among the main risk factors for problems around implants.
What smoking does at each stage
| Stage | Effect of smoking |
|---|---|
| Surgery and the first week | Slower wound healing; higher infection risk; more risk of a painful socket after extractions |
| Healing months | Slower bonding of implants to bone; grafts are particularly affected |
| Years afterwards | Higher risk of gum inflammation and bone loss around implants |
When to stop
The earlier the better. Many surgeons ask patients to stop at least a few weeks before surgery and to stay off cigarettes throughout the healing months until the final teeth are fitted. Even stopping for a short period around surgery helps the wounds heal, but the strongest benefit comes from stopping for good. Your own surgeon will give you their specific advice; ask for it when you receive your provisional plan, so you have time to prepare.
If you are having a bone graft or sinus lift, stopping matters even more. See when a graft changes the plan.
Vaping and nicotine replacement
The NHS says vaping is far less harmful than smoking and can help people stop. For implant surgery, the picture is a little more nuanced. Much of the damage from smoking comes from smoke and heat, which vaping avoids, but nicotine itself narrows blood vessels. Many implant surgeons therefore advise avoiding nicotine in any form during early healing if you can, and using it as a step down from smoking if you cannot. Nicotine patches deliver nicotine through the skin rather than the mouth, which some surgeons prefer around oral surgery. Talk to the clinic and to your stop smoking adviser about the best plan for you.
Free help from the NHS
The NHS offers free support to stop smoking, and people who use it are more likely to succeed than those who try alone:
- Local stop smoking services offer one-to-one or group support and access to medicines and nicotine replacement.
- The NHS Quit Smoking app helps you track progress and cravings.
- Pharmacists and GPs can advise on nicotine replacement and prescription medicines that help.
Search for NHS Better Health quit smoking to find what is available near you. Starting with support a couple of months before the first trip gives you time to get past the hardest weeks at home, where your routine and your support are.
A practical timeline
- When you receive your planSet a quit date at least several weeks before surgery; contact your local stop smoking service.
- Before the tripGet through the hardest first weeks at home, with support.
- Travel and surgeryAvoid airport smoking areas; take patches if agreed with the surgeon.
- Healing monthsStay stopped; the implants and any graft benefit most now.
- After the final teethStaying stopped protects the implants for the long term.
Managing cravings after surgery
The first days after surgery are when the urge to smoke can be strongest: you are tired, perhaps bored in a hotel room, and away from your normal routine. A few things help. Plan the hours in advance: short walks, a book, phone calls home, a series to watch. Keep cold drinks and soft snacks to hand, since something in your hand and mouth helps some people. If you use nicotine replacement, have it ready before surgery rather than hunting for it afterwards. Tell your companion, if you have one, that you would like their help to stay stopped. And remember that the sucking action of smoking is itself a problem in the first days after extractions, because it can disturb the blood clot that protects a healing socket.
Cannabis and other kinds of smoking
Everything above applies to any smoked product, including cigars, pipes, shisha and cannabis. Shisha in particular is popular in Turkey and is often seen as harmless; it is not, and it involves inhaling smoke for long periods. Avoid it during both trips and through the healing months. If you use any other substances regularly, tell the surgeon, as some affect sedation and healing too.
If your partner smokes
Stopping is much harder when someone you live with still smokes. If your partner is willing, stopping together, or at least not smoking indoors or in the car, makes a big difference. Many local NHS stop smoking services welcome couples. Your partner's health benefits as much as your implants.
How the clinic will ask
You will be asked about smoking on the health questionnaire and again at the consultation. Answer honestly, including how much and whether you vape. The surgeon may adjust the plan, for example by advising a longer healing time before the final teeth, being more cautious about immediate loading, or recommending more frequent check-ups afterwards. None of that is a punishment. It is the surgeon giving your implants the best chance with the information they have.
If you cannot stop completely
Be honest with the surgeon. Smoking does not always rule out implants, and some surgeons will still treat you, with a clear explanation of the higher risk. Cutting down helps more than nothing. What causes real problems is a patient who says they have stopped and then smokes in the hotel room the evening after surgery. The surgeon can only plan around what they know.
Other things that help healing
Stopping smoking works best alongside the other basics: good control of diabetes, a nourishing soft diet, careful cleaning and no alcohol in the first days after surgery. See health checks before full-arch surgery and the months between trips.
A strong reason to stop
The benefits reach well beyond your mouth: better circulation, easier breathing and a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and many cancers, which the NHS sets out on its quit smoking pages. Many people find that a big, expensive, carefully planned treatment is the motivation they had been missing. You are investing in teeth you hope will last for decades. Giving the implants the best start, and protecting them afterwards, is something only you can do.
At Precious Dental please tell us honestly if you smoke or vape when you first get in touch. It does not stop you enquiring; it helps the surgeon plan safely and advise you properly.
Common questions
Can smokers have All-on-6?
Many surgeons will treat smokers, but they will explain that the risk of problems is higher and strongly advise stopping. Heavy smoking may lead a surgeon to recommend waiting until you have stopped.
How long before surgery should I stop smoking?
As early as possible. Many surgeons ask for at least a few weeks before surgery and through the healing months. Ask your own surgeon for their advice, and remember that stopping for good is best for the implants.
Is vaping better than smoking for implants?
The NHS says vaping is much less harmful than smoking. But many implant surgeons still advise avoiding nicotine during healing, because nicotine itself narrows blood vessels. Ask your surgeon.
Can I use nicotine patches or gum?
Nicotine replacement is a recognised way to stop smoking. Some surgeons prefer patches to gum around oral surgery. Discuss it with the clinic and your stop smoking adviser.
Where can I get help to stop?
The NHS offers free support through local stop smoking services, the NHS Quit Smoking app and advice from pharmacists and GPs.
Sources
- NHS Better Health: quit smoking
- Chrcanovic, Albrektsson and Wennerberg (2015): smoking and dental implants, systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Dentistry
- British Society of Periodontology: patient FAQs about dental implants
- Oral Health Foundation: dental implants
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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