Have you heard smoking affects your teeth and gum health? American Dental Association is one of the leaders in the battle against tobacco-related diseases. Many people know by now that smoking tobacco and e-cigarettes hurt your whole body, including your mouth. Smoking is one of the highest risk factors to bring on gum disease. The American Dental Association keeps updating its policies and scientific information about tobacco as they learn more. In this article, you will learn how smoking can impact your dental health.
Symptoms related to oral health
There are many symptoms that are related to smoking and vaping tobacco. These are just part of the list of symptoms you may have.
- Bad breath
- Stained teeth and tongue
- A dull sense of smell and taste
- Increased buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth
- Increased loss of bone within the jaw
- Gum disease and tooth loss
- Increased risk of leukoplakia, which is white patches inside the mouth
- Slow healing after periodontal treatment, tooth extraction, or other surgery
- Oral cancer
- The lower success rate of dental implants
How will smoking affect my gums and teeth?
When you smoke you are more likely to produce bacterial plaque, which then can lead to gum disease down the road. Smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, so the infected gums can not heal. Gum disease is still one of the most common causes of tooth loss in adults.
Smoking causes many different cancers
The more common cancers that people are aware of when it comes to smoking causing cancer are lung and throat cancer. Unfortunately, smoking causes mouth cancer which leads to thousands of deaths a year. On Cancer.org you can learn more about the statistics. If you are nervous that you might have mouth cancer, please review the Mayo Clinic link here and seek a doctor for professional advice.
Vaping is good, Right?
For many years we have known that smoking affects your teeth and that smoking cigarette are bad for you. It’s only natural that people would look for alternatives like vaping to get their nicotine fix. Vaping also has all the harsh chemicals inside of it that can cause all of the same problems to your teeth that smoking does.
The nicotine inside of vapes can lead to gum disease and tooth loss just like cigarettes.
Propylene glycol is toxic to enamel and soft tissue. Propylene glycol is one of the main ingredients in most vapes. It can also cause dry mouth, taking away from essential saliva.
Vegetable glycerin and flavorings that make you like the taste of it get stuck in your teeth attracting bacteria.
Be the Quitter you deserve
These are some benefits to quitting smoking according to the CDC. Please feel free to see more benefits on their website here.
| Time after quitting | Health benefits |
| Minutes | Heart rate drops |
| 24 hours | The nicotine level in the blood drops to zero |
| Several days | Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to the level of someone who does not smoke |
| 1 to 12 months | Coughing and shortness of breath decrease |
| 1 to 2 years | The risk of heart attack drops sharply |
| 3 to 6 years | The added risk of coronary heart disease drops by half |
| 5 to 10 years | The added risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box drops by half risk of stroke decreases |
What Can Smiles of Round Lake do for me?
Smoking affects your teeth and gum health. Smiles of Round lake can help you. Dr. Lin will carry out a regular dental checkup and examination. This is to make sure that your teeth, gums, and your whole mouth are healthy. The dental team will also examine your cheeks, tongue, and throat for any signs of other conditions that may need more investigation. They may also be able to put you in touch with organizations and self-help groups that will have the latest information to help you stop smoking.
Smiles of Round Lake is here to answer any questions that you may have about your oral mouth care. We can be reached by email at [email protected], or by phone at 847-546-1542.