Is smoking bad for your teeth? Smoking and tobacco use is not just bad for your overall health, but it is very bad for your oral health. Smoking can cause a number of problems, including gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancer. In this article, we will go over some of the ways that tobacco use is bad for your oral health and the importance of eliminating it in your life.
How does tobacco affect your teeth
There are a whole host of issues that can arise from smoking and tobacco use. They include:
- Tooth loss
- Bone loss
- Discoloration of your teeth
- Bad Breath
- Inflammation
- Oral cancer
- Gum disease
- Lessened ability to fight infection
- Slower healing
- Lower success rate for dental procedures
Smoking constricts blood vessels which can limit the amount of nutrients that reach your teeth and gums. It stifles the healing process and makes your gums and teeth more susceptible to infection.
Additionally, smokers produce less saliva which results in dry mouth. Dry mouth is a major risk factor for gum disease and tooth decay. Saliva is very important to maintaining a healthy mouth as it helps cut down on bacteria and remove food particles from your mouth.
Dry mouth also increases the amount of plaque that builds up on your teeth and contributes to bad breath as well.
Smoking also contains over 7000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. These toxins damage your teeth and gums and increase your risk for developing cancer. Oral cancer is a serious concern for smokers. You are six times more likely to develop oral cancer than non-smokers.
It isn’t limited to cigarettes either. Cigars and pipe smoking are just as harmful to your teeth and gums.
Chewing tobacco
Chewing tobacco is also bad for your teeth, but not for all of the same reasons as smoking. It can cause:
- Stained teeth
- Gum disease
- Tooth loss
- Cancer of the cheek, gums, and lining of the lips, and throat
Chewing tobacco contains nicotine and other chemicals that are absorbed through the lining of your mouth. These chemicals increase your risk for developing cancer.
Smokeless tobacco also increases your risk for gum disease. The sugar in smokeless tobacco can lead to tooth decay. The grit and other materials in chewing tobacco can also wear down your teeth.
The bottom line is that smoking and tobacco use is bad for your oral health. It increases your risk for a number of serious problems, including gum disease, tooth loss, and cancer.
Vaping and oral health – Is smoking bad for your teeth?
Vaping is also bad for your oral health. It increases your risk for:
- Dry mouth
- Tooth decay
- Gum disease
- Cancer
Vaping is still a relatively new phenomenon, so we don’t know all of the long-term effects yet. However, we do know that it is bad for your oral health. The chemicals in vaping liquid are absorbed through the lining of your mouth. These chemicals can damage your teeth and gums and increase your risk for developing cancer.
How can you protect your teeth if you smoke
So now that we know smoking is bad for your health, what can we do about it?
If you smoke, the best thing you can do is quit. Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your oral health. It will immediately begin to improve your gum tissue and teeth.
In the meantime, there are some things you can do to help offset the damage smoking does:
- Brush and floss regularly
- Use a mouthwash
- See your dentist regularly
- Avoid smoking immediately after eating
- Chew sugar-free gum
- Don’t use tobacco products with your teeth
If you can’t quit smoking, try to smoke less. The less you smoke, the better off your oral health will be.
Eliminating smoking from your life
If you smoke or use tobacco products, quitting is the best thing you can do for your oral health.
If you need help quitting, there are a number of resources available to you. Here’s a list of tips for you if you need help quitting:
- Use a nicotine replacement to help lessen the urge to smoke
- Chew sugar-free gum
- Get rid of smoking triggers in your life
- Avoid smoking hotspots
- Tell your friends and family that you’re trying to quit
- Set a quit date and stick to it
- Exercise and work out more
- Meditate, pray, and use affirmation
For more tips on quitting smoking, check out this article from WebMD.