It goes without saying that smoking is not good for your health. Smokers and smokeless tobacco users are made well aware of the dangers of tobacco and nicotine addictions. There have been countless studies documenting the negative effects of smoking on human lungs and heart, but did you know that smoking can affect your oral health? There are quite a few oral health problems that arise because of smoking including the most obvious, bad breath and tooth discoloration. Not so obvious but highly prevalent in smokers is the increased risk or oral cancer, a significant rise in the build-up of harmful plaque and tartar and studies have shown accelerated bone loss as a result of smoking.
If you think that professional teeth whitening will help your discolored teeth you should know that discoloration that’s caused by smoking is extremely difficult to treat or reverse. More difficult to remove that traditional stains caused by foods and beverage, most whitening procedures are not strong enough to whiten severely stained teeth from smoking. If you ever decide to fix that stained smile, you may need to turn to more costly procedures like veneers or crowns to cover the stains.
Any time you have an increased build up of plaque or tartar, which is increased caused by smoking, you run the risk of having periodontal problems.Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues and bone that support the teeth. This form of gum disease can lead to a variety of oral health concerns. Research shows that smokers have a more difficult time healing after dental procedures and smoking can decrease the success rate for dental implants to fuse with the jawbone.
An increased risk of oral cancer is the most serious and deadly side effect of smoking. When oral cancer is not detected early or treated aggressively, oral cancer has a high death rate compared to other cancers. It is a good idea to see your dentist regularly if you are a smoker, it’s even more important not to skip bi-annual checkups. I think you will agree that smoking is not the best thing for your smile or your oral health.
