Cigarettes and Teeth: What You Should Know?

Smoking is one of the most harmful habits, both for our general health and for our oral health. The nicotine contained in tobacco is a substance that causes relaxation and pleasure. But most tobacco products have a negative effect on our health.

In particular, the effects of smoking on the oral cavity are many and serious, since the oral cavity is the gateway of tobacco into our body. Smoking, according to several studies, has been associated with a number of oral disorders. Some of them are innocent and others even endanger our lives.

Smoking is a harmful habit with countless negative effects on the body’s health. One of them is the damage it causes to the teeth. Listed below are tooth decays that are caused by smoking.

What Does Smoking Cause to Your Teeth?

Smoke damages your teeth in several ways. Cigarettes limit your mouth’s ability to fight infection, which leaves you vulnerable to the bacteria that are produced by smoking. When your mouth can not resist then, as a result plaque and bacteria grow.

Tooth Discoloration

Even smoking 2 cigarettes a day will lead to tooth discoloration, only at a slightly slower rate than if you smoked more, according to experts. Yellow or stained teeth are one of the most obvious signs that someone is a smoker.

No matter how well you brush and clean your teeth, stains cannot be removed and your teeth will still remain yellow. Yellow teeth also make us look bigger than we really are and this is something no one wants. Teeth whitening treatments can help slow down this process, but if you continue smoking, it is impossible to stop or reverse it comprehensively.

Caries and Loss

The damage in your teeth is not always obvious at a first glance, but long-term smoking will cause gradual decay to your teeth. Professionals explain: When you smoke, the supply of oxygen to the gums is limited so as a result, the nerves do not receive enough blood in order to stay healthy. Large areas might appear between the teeth and around the gum line.

Not only is it unattractive, but it can also often lead to oral infections with food being trapped between your teeth. This will cause the cavities to grow and the tooth structure to weaken. In the worst of cases, the tooth will in due course either fall out or need to be removed. “If you get to the point of tooth loss and caries, it will lead to further signs of aging and definitely more expensive dental procedures will be necessary to be completed.”

Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease, which is also known as a gum disease, is a bacterial infection of the mouth that, over time, causes damage to the patient’s gums and teeth.

The first signs appear with bleeding while using dental floss and brushing your teeth. As periodontal disease progresses, the gums begin to appear to recede – and that is another definitive sign of a smoker’s teeth.

It is achievable to reverse the effect of periodontal disease if diagnosed early, so if you are a smoker and you experience this, smoking cessation as well as an appointment with a dentist is an essential step.

Halitosis

Halitosis, or differently called bad breath, can be a cause of smoking, chewing tobacco as well as the usage of other kinds of tobacco. This happens because it fundamentally starves your mouth of clear oxygen and at the same time coats the inside of your mouth along with chemicals and a scent that the majority of non-smokers will not find very enjoyable.

Gum Disease

Smokers are twice as likely to develop gum disease as non-smokers. The danger develops with every cigarette you smoke.

Why is this happening? This happens because smoking reduces the ability of the mouth to fight any bacteria, which allows it to accrue in the teeth and eventually reach the gums. If left untreated, the gums can move away and separate from the teeth and cause weakening of the underlying bone structures. The most severe form of this is periodontitis, where the bones and the teeth that hold them in place degrade, and is the one causing the teeth to fall out or erupt.

Tooth loss is a result for heavy smokers because their mouth takes quite a long time without treatment.

Bone Damage

If gum disease is not controlled and treated right, the infection will spread and cause bone damage. The infection will move deeper into the gum tissues and then in the underlying bone structures, where eventually it will start causing it to rupture.

Professionals note: On occasions, in more advanced cases, surgical maintenance becomes a necessity. This can have devastating diversities in the structure of your jaw and the overall features of your face. Bone loss causes sinking, a pulled appearance and requires much more intervention and reconstruction.

Receding Gums

Nicotine leads to irritation to your gum tissues, which causes it to pull back from your teeth and eventually expose more defenseless areas of your tooth. Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco, is principally spiteful because it sticks directly on your gums, consigning discoloration and nicotine considerably dexterously.

Oral cancer

The most severe form of cancer which is associated with smoking is oral cancer. In accordance with the Oral Cancer Foundation, roughly 50,000 people in the United States are diagnosed every year with oral cancer and it is also appreciated that 80% of them are smokers. The risk of developing oral cancer when smoking is connected with heavy alcohol consumption.

Oral cancer is set about as a white or red patch on the mouth, which comes along with learning incompetence or falls, numbness in the jaw and ache in the ear. While there are unquestionably other causes for these symptoms, the National Institutes of Health constitutes that anyone who has had these symptoms for more than two weeks should visit a doctor. The earlier the cancer is detected, the more adequate the treatment will be.

Dry Mouth and Tooth Decay

It has been proved that a smoker has more tooth decay than a non-smoker. Nicotine diminishes your saliva flow as well as the resulting dry mouth will make you more likely to be racked with pain from decay because saliva is your body’s natural tooth cleaner.

The Best Solution for You

A dentist can provide you with a treatment plan in order to help you with smoking-related problems. Although, the only way in order to get rid of your issues completely is to quit smoking. Dental issues are just one of the many parts of your body that can be affected by smoking. Abandonment will lead a healthier life for years to come.

Therefore, the role of the dentist is very important in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of your oral health problems. The dentist should inform the patient about the harmful effects of smoking on their oral health and urge him / her to reduce smoking or if possible, even stop it.

The most suitable thing for you to do is secure an appointment with our professional team, as soon as possible.

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