Whilst the health risks associated with smoking are no longer hidden, several people forget to consider the impact smoking can have on your dental health, including stained teeth and gum disease.
Although many believe the damage caused by smoking is irreversible, dental implants London is an effective way to cover tooth loss and the damage caused by years upon years of smoking. So, before you step outside for your next cigarette, here is how smoking is affecting your dental health, and what you are putting yourself at high risk of developing.
Stained Teeth
Stained teeth are one of the more obvious ways of how smoking affects dental health, and the cause of stained teeth is because of the tar and nicotine found in tobacco. The volume is so high that it can turn your teeth yellow in a matter of months, if not weeks, if you are a heavy smoker.
To avoid further staining, avid smokers should avoid consuming foods that can cause excess staining, such as coffee or fizzy beverages. Alternatively, use whitening toothpaste for an at-home quick fix or smoke fewer cigarettes a day for less damage to your dental health. And if all these methods don’t work, drop by this Dentist based in Pearland for treatment options.
Gum Disease
Some of the warning signs avid smokers fail to notice are red and tender gums, unpleasant chewing and sensitive teeth. Whilst red gums may not be of concern, they should certainly set alarm bells ringing inside your head. This can be a warning sign of gum disease. Smoking weakens your immune system, making it more difficult to fight off gum infection before the unbearable pain sets in. In order to prevent gum disease, smokers should brush their teeth at least twice a day and floss to extract unwanted plaque from their teeth.
Oral Cancer
Though people are aware that smoking is bad for their health and can be the reason for throat and lung cancer, few understand the significant risk of oral cancer. Each year hundreds, if not thousands, of people die from mouth cancer, being blissfully unaware of how continued smoking can be one of the main causes of oral cancer – although anyone can get it. However, many cases of this dreadful cancer are directly linked to the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, even more so if both are taken together.
Halitosis
Halitosis, more commonly known as bad breath or smoker’s breath in this case, is yet another way in which smoking can affect your dental health. The only way to eliminate cigarette smoke off your breath is to brush your teeth after smoking, which many of us fail to do, or do not get the opportunity to do. A more convenient way of removing cigarette smoke is to chew sugarless gum, but this doesn’t entirely get rid of the bad breath associated with smoking, nor does it prevent other serious dental problems connected with the habit.
Tooth Infection
Many people don’t realise the damage smoking does to their dental health, nor do they understand the risk of tooth infection, otherwise called dental abscess. In order to reduce the risk of tooth infections and uncomfortable tooth ache, regular smokers should avoid eating foods high in acidic composition, as these can cause irreversible enamel breakdown and cavities can be one of the reasons for sudden tooth loss.