How Smoking Impacts Oral Health
Countless warnings have made people aware of the damaging affect smoking has on your general health. Often, people forget that every puff of a cigarette goes through the lips, tongue, teeth, and gums. Though quitting can be difficult and may take several attempts, the payoff is worth your effort.
Smoking makes a negative impact on oral health, including:
Increased risk of oral cancer
Though some individuals with no risk factors battle oral cancer, tobacco use exponentially raises the odds that a person may develop cancer of the mouth, tongue, throat, or lips. Because oral cancer is often discovered in the later stages, the survival rate is low.
Problems with gum disease
Compared with non-smokers, gum disease in smokers moves more rapidly. As well, smoking generates more bacterial plaque in your mouth and it diminishes the oxygen in your blood, which slows down healing.
More cavities
Since smoking causes excessive plaque build-up and contributes to gum disease, it makes sense that the risk for tooth decay also increases. Smokers have three times as many cavities as individuals who don’t smoke.
Trouble with bad breath
Over 4,000 chemicals pass through your mouth every time you smoke, and some of them stay in your oral cavitiy, which can give you halitosis. You can also develop dry mouth because smoking often decreases saliva output.
Stains on Teeth
Typically, people want a bright, white smile. The nicotine and tar in cigarettes actually leaves unattractive, yellow discolorations on your teeth. With time, these stains can seep into tiny cracks in the enamel, resulting in permanent changes to your smile’s appearance.