Those who smoke increase their chances of lung, heart, stomach, and kidney diseases, as well as putting themselves at risk of cancer. We should all know by now how catastrophic smoking is to our health, but have you thought about your oral hygiene?
When it comes to oral hygiene, smoking is not the most talked about issue. However, it is important to consider these factors as smoking can have a detrimental effect on your oral hygiene and overall health.
How Smoking Affects Your Oral Hygiene
Below there are some of the major problems smoking can have on the health of your teeth and gums. It’s not a small list so be aware that all these problems can occur at any time.
- Stained Teeth and a Discoloured Tongue. Smoking can stain your teeth and tongue due to the constant amount of cigarette tar in the mouth.
- Bad Breath. The tar and tobacco will give you extremely strong and unappealing breath.
- Loss of Smell and Taste. Reducing the senses in the mouth which singes your smell and taste.
- Gum and Periodontal Disease. You become two times as likely to get gum disease if you are a smoker.
- Tooth Decay and Loss. Smoking will encourage bacteria, plaque and tartar which can lead to many diseases and unhealthy outcomes for the mouth.
- Mouth Sores and Ulcers. Due to the chemicals within a cigarette, bacteria can form producing painful sores and ulcers.
- Gum Recession. Smokers who develop gum disease will experience receding gums which makes oral hygiene extremely difficult.
- Oral Cancer. Due to the chemicals found in cigarettes, tobacco, and cigars, they will ultimately damage and destroy all the healthy cells in your throat and mouth which can develop into oral cancer.
- Delayed Healing for Dental Procedures and Surgeries and a Weakened Immune System. Decreases the speed of oral defences against disease and infection.
Vaping and E-Cigarette Awareness
It is believed that smoking e-cigarettes (vaping) are less harmful to your oral hygiene than standard cigarettes, but this is not entirely true.
During an inhale of vape, you take in e-liquids, even those which state that they are nicotine-free can still contain harmful substances which can include heavy metals, cancer-causing chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and believe it or not… nicotine.
If e-cigarettes do contain nicotine, the likelihood of you having a dental emergency will increase. There is some evidence that vaping can cause inflammation and those that do vape are at a higher risk of getting gum disease and perhaps a loss of taste.
Another interesting fact is how addictive vaping can be. Smokers use this method to try and quit smoking, but it may make it harder to do so. This will then increase the risk of diseases associated with tobacco use – like cancer.
How Can You Quit Smoking?
In 2012, around 20% of adults were smoking. That has drastically dropped to 13.9% which is such a positive result. If you are still struggling to quit, there is a lot of advice that you can follow and try different methods.
Feel free to talk to your GP, join your local stop smoking service, and seek online support at Better Health.
Quitting can be hard and stressful for roughly six months, but after this you will no longer feel these pressures and your overall oral and physical health will be drastically improved.
At The 247 Dentist, we offer a full range of services to treat your emergency dental requirements. Due to smoking, your teeth and gums can be drastically affected and create horrendous problems for your future.
Book Your Emergency Dental Appointment
If you feel that your smoking habits are having an impact on your oral hygiene, and resulting in dental problems then contact The 247 Dentist to book an emergency dental appointment on 02382 355 553 or email us at info@the247dentist.com.
We offer out of hours appointments so that you can receive urgent dental care without having to disrupt your daily schedule or prolong any toothaches and pains.