You’ve heard repeatedly that ‘smoking seriously harms your health and especially your oral health, but do you know how?
Perhaps the first answer that comes to mind is respiratory and lung problems. But there are other negative effects that are also closely linked to your oral health. When you light a cigarette, you do your mouth a disservice through various manifestations, ranging from small aesthetic changes to some types of cancer.
Because the mouth is its gateway into the body, tobacco is the worst enemy of the teeth and particularly of the gums, being its harmful effects at this level very striking. This addiction directly contributes to the development of periodontal (gum) diseases such as gingivitis or periodontitis, causing smokers very unpleasant and visible problems.
Smoking harms your oral health and leads to dental problems, including:
– Bad breath. Tobacco causes a distinct odor in addition to that produced by other substances that are added to cigarettes, such as tar and multiple additives. All this generates a characteristic odor in the breath and/or aggravates the halitosis originated by other causes.
– Discoloration of the teeth the change in the color of the dentition, generally to a yellowish tone, is the most obvious and unsightly sign caused by the action of tobacco on the teeth.
– Inflammation of the salivary gland openings in the roof of the mouth.
– Increased accumulation of plaque and tartar on the teeth. Tobacco also affects our mouth by reducing our immune capacity, decreasing our salivary secretion and favoring the appearance of a greater number of bacteria. This makes our teeth more prone to tartar build-up and weaker when it comes to coping with bacteria. Thus, tobacco can increase the chances of suffering caries and that the aggressiveness of these may make it necessary to endodontics.
– Increased bone loss in the jaw
– Increased risk of leukoplakia, white spots inside the mouth
– Increased risk of developing gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss. Because tobacco decreases the blood flow to the gums, they are paler in color and appear less inflamed than they are, so periodontal disease is often masked in smokers. The smoker should be aware of this particularity, visiting his dentist in a regulated way, even if he thinks his gums are fine.
– Delay in the healing process after tooth extraction, periodontal treatment or oral surgery
– Low success rate of dental implant procedures tobacco consumption is associated with a greater loss of bone support needed for dental implants, especially in the upper jaw area. This negatively influences the success rate of placement of dental implants that can sometimes be lost or removed due to failure in their integration.
– Increased risk of developing oral cancer.
– Reduction of the senses of taste and smell.
We, at True Smile Works Dental Clinic will be happy to consult you and answer all your queries and concerns.
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