We’ve all heard about the detrimental effects of smoking on your health. However, did you know that smoking also adversely affects your oral health? Well, it’s true! Smoking causes many oral health problems and the longer you smoke the more severe these problems become.
With there being about 36 million smokers in the United States, (according to the Centers for Disease Control), this amounts to about 15% of the population. That’s a huge number of people risking their oral health by smoking. So, how exactly does smoking affect your teeth? That’s what we’ll talk about in this article…
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for oral cancer: Smoking or chewing tobacco can cause cancers of your mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and throat. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, about 50,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. An estimated 80% of them are smokers. If you are a smoker as well as a heavy drinker, your risk for oral cancer substantially increases. I screen all of my patients at their dental appointments for oral cancer. It often begins as a white or red patch in the mouth and is not symptomatic. It later can be accompanied by difficulty chewing or swallowing, numbness in the jaw, and pain in the ear. If you have these symptoms for more than two weeks, visit your dentist, as the earlier oral cancer is detected, the more effective will its treatment be.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for gum disease: Smoking adversely affects your gums in two ways. If you smoke you are more likely to produce more bacterial plaque in your mouth, which puts your gums under steady attack. Second, smokers have lower oxygen levels in their blood, therefore delaying healing. This means that when your gums become infected, your body is less likely to be able to deal with it. Gum disease progresses at a very rapid rate in people who smoke. Losing teeth is a very real consequence in people who are heavy smokers.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for cavities: Due to the plaque and gum problems caused by smoking, smokers are at higher risk for tooth decay. If you smoke, you’re putting your mouth at risk for cavities three times more than non-smokers.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for bad breath: Smokers have a greater incidence of halitosis or bad breath. This is because about 4000 chemicals pass through your oral cavity every time you smoke. Many of these end up collecting on the surfaces inside your mouth. Smoking also contributes to bad breath by drying out your mouth. This can trigger gum infection and can irritate your sinuses, resulting in post-nasal drip.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for stained teeth: Smokers typically have stained teeth, with unattractive yellow stains that tar and nicotine leave on your teeth. Over time, this discoloration can leak into tiny cracks in your tooth enamel, leading to permanent discoloration and staining.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for delayed healing: Smoking results in the increased possibility of tooth extraction and oral surgery. However, at the same time, it results in delayed healing and slows your body’s ability to recover from these procedures. It also lowers the rate of successful dental implant procedures. The more you smoke, the more vulnerable you are to developing further complications.
- Smoking puts you at greater risk for altered taste and smell: Smoking results in an altered sense of taste and smell. This interferes with your enjoyment of food and is also likely to make you add more salt or sugar to your food to make the taste stronger. Research shows that about one in five smokers have a less precise sense of taste and smell. However, this can be reversed if you stop smoking.
So, now you know how smoking can adversely affect your teeth. At Bellevue Dental Health we can help you manage the effects of smoking on your teeth. We work individually with each patient and take a detailed patient history to determine what treatment options each patient has.
If you are a smoker be sure to have regular dental care and a regular exam. As always, we are here to help at Bellevue Dental Health!
For more information about a dental consultation and different dental procedures,
contact Dr. Libby Finnessy of Bellevue Dental Health at 425-641-3311 or at info@bellevuedentalhealth.com.