Find out just how harmful tobacco can be for your oral health.
While cigarette smoking in adults has decreased over the years, about 42 million adults still smoke cigarettes. It can be hard to ditch smoking; however, this nasty habit not only affects your overall health but the health of your teeth and gums as well. Find out just what kind of effects tobacco could have your smile and why your Houston, TX dentist recommends quitting for good if you want to preserve your smile.
Bad Breath: It probably comes as no surprise that smoking cigarettes can leave a rather unpleasant aroma behind. Those who smoke often deal with halitosis, the medical term for severely bad breath. There are several reasons why smoking causes this unpleasant condition.
First, smoking cigarettes causes smoke particles to remain on the throat and the lungs. This smell can stay in your mouth for hours, producing a rather stale and offensive smell. Second, there are over 60 chemicals found in cigarettes that can be to blame for pungent breath. If people have been complaining about your bad breath, you may want to blame cigarettes.
Unsightly stains: The chemicals from tobacco products also stain tooth enamel. These stains are usually yellow or brown and can become impossible to remove, particularly in long-term or frequent smokers. These stains are often too severe to experience much of an effect from whitening toothpastes or rinses, which means that a lot of smokers just have to put up with yellowing, discolored teeth.
Increase in oral cancer: One study conducted by the University of California in San Francisco found that as many as eighty percent of oral cancer patients were also smokers. Combine tobacco use with alcohol consumption and your risk of developing oral cancer is 15 times more likely than someone who doesn’t smoke or drink alcohol.
Increase in gum disease: Smoking cigarettes is actually the most common risk factor associated with the development of gum disease. Furthermore, smoking can even decrease the effectiveness of gum disease treatments. Uncontrolled and untreated gum disease can lead to tooth loss.
Slower healing: Since tobacco increases the chance of gum disease or tooth loss, these conditions also require surgery or aggressive dental treatments. However, the recovery process can be significant harder and longer for those who smoke. This is because the chemicals in tobacco can affect the way the oral tissue heals and even cause abnormal blood clots to form, which will only delay your recovery.
For those looking to hide severe tobacco stains, we offer a variety of different cosmetic dental services to help you regain a whiter, healthier smile after smoking. Also you should be coming in every six months for routine cleanings. If it’s time to schedule a cleaning with your Houston, TX dentist, Dr. Tiberiu Oancea, contact Today’s Dental.