Smoking and Dental Health
We all know that smoking causes malignant tumors in the oral cavity, throat, lungs and some other areas in the body. Smoking can also cause Cardiopulmonary problems, coughing and can worsen asthma symptoms. Smoking can lead to emphysema and other chronic pulmonary and heart conditions.
Smokers are aware of those risk, but are they aware of the toll it takes on their dental health? It can impede blood flow to your mouth and as a result make you more vulnerable to bacterial growth and gum disease.
Complications of Smoking:
- Bad Breath
- Slower healing after an oral extraction
- Teeth discoloration
- Risk of developing oral Cancer
- Gum disease and bone loss
How does tobacco damage teeth?
Smoking limits the ability to fight infection caused by bacteria festers. This leads to problems such as gum disease, bone loss and even tooth decay.
NOTE: Did you know when you smoke, you short circuit your body’s autoimmune defence?
Your body can’t protect itself, suddenly. Tarter buildup becomes a major issue. Grit in tobacco can rub teeth and wear away their protective coating of enamel.
It is not only cigarettes that can be harmful to your mouth, smokeless tobacco can also cause harm to your mouth, not only due to the nicotine but also because some brands of chewing tobacco use sugar as an ingredient.
Why is smoking so bad for your teeth:
According to the statistics from the CDC (Center for Disease control and Prevention)
16% of smokers have poor dental health, four times of rate of people who have never smoked.
Smokers are less likely to see a dentist in the past five years than non-smokers.
More than a third of smokers have at least three dental issues.
Effects that Smoking have on your teeth
Your teeth come in direct contact with the dangerous toxins you inhale when you take a drag of that cigarette.
Symptoms of serious tooth problems may include:
- Bleeding Gums.
- Buildup of calculus (Hardened Plaque)
- Tooth Decay (cavities)
- Dry Mouth
These symptoms often lead to even greater side effects from smoking:
- A greater need for a Root Canal (Removal of the nerves)
- Loss of teeth (Due to bone loss)
- Damaged tooth enamel
How does Tobacco damage your Gums
Smoking can weaken your gums and develop periodontal disease (gum disease)
The problem develops when bacteria (Infection) builds up underneath your gums or the soft tissue surrounding your teeth. Your gums become inflamed and caused bleeding and bad odor which are one of the signs of the start of periodontal disease.
- Signs of gum disease caused by smoking:
- Gum tenderness and redness
- Bleeding while brushing or flossing your teeth
- Loose teeth
- Pus oozing between your teeth
- Dull pain when chewing
- Receding gum line
Periodontal Disease can be treated through many solutions that range from simple to complex treatment plans, such as:
- Anti-microbial mouthwash
- Antibiotics
- Doxycycline gel
- Bone surgery (Severe cases)
- Grafting of soft tissue
- Flap surgery to remove tartar from deep pockets
- Deep cleaning (SRP- Scaling and Root Planing)
Gum Disease prevention for smokers
The best recommendation to preventing gum disease is to stop smoking.
It is important to have good oral hygiene. Brush and floss daily after every meal using a toothpaste with Fluoride.