Smoking Negatively Impacts Your Oral Health
Smoking is a habit that is tremendously detrimental to your health. It is also a major contributor to dental problems.
Dental Problems Caused By Smoking
Smoking can contribute to the following dental problems:
- Bad breath
- Diminished sense of taste
- Tooth discolorations
- Inflammation of the salivary gland openings on the roof of the mouth
- Increased plaque and tartar build-up
- Bone loss within the jaw
- Tooth decay
- Increased risk of leukoplakia (white patches inside the mouth)
- Increase risk of developing gum disease, which is a leading cause of tooth loss. Smoking affects the attachment of bone and soft tissue to your teeth, interfering with the normal function of gum tissue cells. The interference makes smokers more susceptible to infections, and impairs blood flow to the gums.
- Delayed healing process following tooth extraction, periodontal treatment, or oral surgery. Over time, smoking can hinder your immune system, reducing your ability to recover after surgery.
- Lower success rate of dental implant procedures
- Increased risk of developing oral cancer. About 90{3b0f9398becb40f4bdd8fe95c600d2c252c33730296b97da1b334948809cb5c4} of people with cancer of the mouth, lips, tongue, and throat use tobacco. The risk of developing these cancers increases with the amount smoked or chewed and the duration of the habit. Smokers are six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop these cancers. These types of cancers are considered aggressive due to the abundance of blood vessels and lymph nodes in your head and neck.
Reducing The Amount You Smoke Can Help
No matter how long you have smoked, quitting today can greatly reduce the risks you are presenting to your health. Quitting in and of itself is very difficult. Reducing the amount you smoke can help improve your oral health. One study showed that smokers who reduced their smoking habit to less than half a pack a day had only three times the risk of developing gum disease compared with nonsmokers. This is compared to those who smoked more than a pack and a half per day, who were at a six times higher risk.
Quit Smoking Today And Improve Your Health
16 percent of smokers have poor dental health, four times the rate of people who have never smoked. More than a third of smokers have at least three dental health issues. Smokers are less likely to have gone to the dentist in the past five years than non-smokers. If you fall into this category, please do not be afraid to come into our offices for a consultation today. You may be suffering from serious health concerns and not even realize it. Visiting a dentist could save your life.