There’s really no way around it; smoking cigarettes can wreak havoc on your health. While you may know its effects on your heart and lungs, are you aware of how serious the consequences are within your mouth? From oral cancer to smile aesthetics, your smoking habit may be one of the most detrimental things you do every day towards your dental health. If you are considering kicking your nicotine habit, these common oral health threats may motivate you to actually do it:
Stained Teeth: If you are looking for a white, youthful smile, you simply can’t win if you are a smoker. Smoking creates stubborn, dingy stains on your teeth as you light up each day.
Bad Breath: Another strike against your efforts to be approachable is bad breath. Not only is the direct smell of cigarettes repulsive to many, but smoking also contributes to a dry mouth, which leads to more bacteria in the oral cavity and higher chances of foul breath odor.
Dulled Sense of Taste: You may not even realize how good that chocolate cake actually tastes if you are a smoker. Smoking can affect your taste buds over time.
Impaired Healing: Smoking creates vasoconstriction, which limits nutritional blood flow to your tissues and hinders your body’s ability to heal itself. Therefore, many dental procedures, such as dental implants, require that you stop smoking before initiating treatment.
Gum Disease: Periodontal disease is a serious oral health condition, and one that is also strongly linked to smoking. While you may notice red or puffy gums at first, gum disease that is not treated can lead to tooth loss and threats to your heart health.
Oral Cancer: As much as eight out of ten oral cancer patients were smokers. Oral cancer is a deadly disease if not diagnosed and treated at its earliest stage.
At West Hill Family Dental, we offer a full range of restorative and cosmetic services to address the damage that smoking has caused on your smile. However, if you are not ready to quit, your efforts to gain a healthier and more attractive smile are in vain. We encourage patients to set short-term goals and rewards. For example, schedule a teeth whitening procedure with us and vow to limit your cigarettes to retain your results longer. We promise your teeth and body will thank you!