E-cigarettes, also known as vapes or vape pens, have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among teenagers and young adults. However, these devices are not without risks.
There have been concerning reports of e-cigarettes randomly exploding, causing severe injuries like burns and even loss of teeth. This raises the question – if you lose teeth in a vape explosion, can they be replaced with dental implants?
What Is Vaping?
Before getting into dental implants, it’s important to understand what vaping is. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid, known as vape juice or e-liquid, into an aerosol that the user inhales. This vapor usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other additives.
The main ingredients in vape juice are typically propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Propylene glycol is a common food additive, while vegetable glycerin is a sweet, thick liquid used in things like food processing. When heated, these ingredients create a smooth, thick vapor that can carry nicotine and other flavors.
Because e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco and don’t burn anything, many people view vaping as a safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. However, it’s not completely harmless.
Let’s look at how vaping can impact oral health.
How Does Vaping Affect Your Mouth and Teeth?
Over the past several years, more evidence has come out on the potential risks of vaping. And some of them involve your oral health. Here are a few key ways vaping can hurt your mouth and teeth – and a clue to the answer to the question,” Can a dentist tell if you vape rarely?”:
- Dry mouth – Vaping dries out the mouth, decreasing saliva. Saliva helps prevent tooth decay by washing away food bits and bacteria. Less saliva means more buildup on the teeth.
- Bacterial infection – Streptococcus mutans is a bacteria that contributes to tooth decay. One study found higher levels of this bacteria in people who vaped compared to people who didn’t.
- Gum disease – Some research links vaping to increased gum inflammation and even periodontal disease. The propylene glycol in vapes may harm gum tissue or alter oral bacteria.
- Tooth loss – Severe gum disease is the biggest cause of tooth loss in adults. If vaping worsens gum disease, it could eventually lead to lost teeth. Also, in some cases, vapes can explode. Such an explosion can cause serious injuries, including loss of teeth.
The Dangers of Vape Explosions
Let’s get into why vapes randomly explode. What exactly is happening inside these devices, and how can they cause such sudden and devastating injuries?
Most vapes use lithium batteries to power the heating element that turns the vape juice into vapor. Lithium batteries store and release large amounts of energy – that’s why they’re so common in devices like cell phones.
However, lithium batteries can malfunction and overheat if they’re poorly designed, damaged, or misused. When this happens, the battery rapidly releases all its energy in a runaway reaction that can cause fires or explosions.
Unfortunately, many early vape manufacturers rushed new products to the market without proper testing or quality control. Some used low-quality batteries or made design flaws that put too much strain on the battery. This makes exploding vapes a known – albeit rare – risk.
When a vape explodes, it can send battery parts and superheated metal flying toward the user’s face and mouth at high speeds. This can smash and burn through lips, gums, teeth, and bone in an instant.
If an accident like this does happen, what dental treatments would be involved to recover and replace the lost teeth?
Dental Implants to Replace Lost Teeth After an Exploding Vape
Losing multiple teeth is always a traumatic experience. But when it happens unexpectedly in a painful accident, that’s even more emotionally devastating. This is because, besides having to cope with severe injuries, you have to figure out how to restore oral function and self-confidence.
In cases of accident-related tooth loss, an initial emergency dentistry response is crucial. Seeking immediate medical help not only treats urgent injuries but also increases the chances of saving knocked-out teeth. There have been amazing cases of surgeons re-implanting and saving severely damaged teeth.
However, mouth injuries from explosions are often too complex to save the natural teeth. The intense heat and force usually fracture them beyond repair. Plus, there may be a substantial loss of supporting gum tissue and bone.
When the teeth can’t be saved, the dentist removes any remaining roots and fragments to prevent infection. Temporary dentures or flippers may help until the mouth fully heals. Dental implants can’t be placed until complete healing, so this interim step restores some facial structure and chewing ability.
The healing time before getting implants depends on factors like:
- Number of teeth missing
- Amount of bone loss
- The extent of soft tissue damage
- Whether bone grafting is necessary
Once the mouth has recovered enough, the dentist develops a custom implant treatment plan. In the majority of cases, there’s usually enough natural, healthy bone to securely place the titanium implant posts. But sometimes bone is also lost in the trauma. In such cases, bone grafting is usually needed to rebuild a solid foundation for the implants.
The basic steps in the tooth implant process involve:
- Implant surgery – The oral surgeon carefully embeds a titanium metal post into the jawbone. The gum tissue is stitched closed over it while osseointegration occurs.
- Healing time – Over 3-6 months, the bone grows around and fuses to the implant surface to hold it firmly in place.
- Abutment attachment – A small connector post is screwed into the implanted fixture to attach the visible tooth crown.
- Custom crown placement – Finally, the cosmetic dental crown is secured to the abutment. It perfectly matches the surrounding teeth for a seamless, natural smile.
While dental implants require multiple procedures over several months, they provide the absolute best long-term solution. Advances in 3D imaging, planning software, and implant technology make them highly precise and predictable.
Success rates for dental implants are over 95% when a 10-year period is considered. In fact, with proper oral hygiene at home, they can last 20-30 years or longer!
So investing in implants is worthwhile, as it truly gives patients a stable, permanent set of teeth that enables them to restore their confidence and improve their quality of life.
Are there any alternatives if implants aren’t possible?
Full or partial dentures are one option, depending on how many teeth are missing. This is so, especially if there isn’t enough healthy bone left to support implants, as dentures will work better in such circumstances. However, each case depends on the specific injury situation and needs.
In general, dental implants have incredibly high success rates and patient satisfaction metrics – even when replacing multiple lost teeth.
How Dentists Can Help
To wrap up, vape explosions that cause tooth loss are extremely scary and emotionally taxing experiences. But patients can regain their happy, healthy smiles again with thoughtful dental implant treatment and oral rehabilitation.
And yes, dental implants can replace teeth lost to an exploding vape. They are a great option that provides skilled dentists with a way to restore their patients’ health, function, and confidence.
While this post outlines the top considerations, every case is unique. Please discuss your specific situation with a dentist who can examine the nature and extent of the dental trauma you have suffered and the treatment options you can explore.
With advanced technology and good dentistry, even severe tooth loss cannot be permanent. A fresh start with dental implants after an accident-related injury can do wonders for your smile, appearance, and confidence.
