It’s no secret that smoking has no benefit to your health. Not only does smoking affect your overall health, but it also has negative effects on your dental health. Including stained teeth and bad breath, here’s a full list of all the negative implications smoking can have on your oral health.

Why is Smoking Bad?

We know smoking is bad for our health, but do you know exactly why? Smoking harms your overall health because it can cause damage to every part of the body. According to Medical News Today, smoking causes more deaths in the United States each year than the following combined: alcohol use, firearm-related incidents, HIV, illegal drug use, and motor vehicle accidents.

They go on to say that this is because smoking involves the use of tobacco which contains two poisons:

1. Carbon monoxide: yes, the same thing found in car exhaust and is fatal in large doses. Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood which means the organs aren’t getting any oxygen, thus not working properly.
2. Tar: a sticky, brown substance much like what you think of when thinking of tar on the road, that lines the lungs and makes it harder to breathe.

When you learn about these two poisons, it’s easy to see how they could harm your body – even your teeth!

Oral Health and Smoking

Smoking, along with all tobacco products cause a multitude of problems. The American Dental Association lists the common oral health problems caused by smoking to be:

Stained teeth and tongue: nicotine and tar cling to your teeth and can cause them to be yellow or brown in color

Bad breath: When you smoke you’re merely likely to have dry mouth, which can cause bad breath

Loss of taste: This is due to the fact that smoking can alter the shape of taste buds, which affect how you eat and enjoy food

Slow healing after dental procedures: smoking can affect your immune system, which can trigger slower healing times and affect the mouth’s ability to heal correctly

Difficulties in correcting cosmetic dental problems: Due to tooth decay, it can be hard to restore a beautiful smile from the affects of smoking

Gum disease: smoking affects the bone and soft tissue of the mouth and teeth

Oral cancer: using tobacco increases a person’s chance of developing oral cancer, which can be extremely aggressive because of the number of blood vessels and lymph nodes found in the neck and head

Not only does smoking cause overall health problems, but it does damage right there at the source too – in your mouth.

Preventing Oral Health Problems Caused By Smoking

The only way to prevent oral health problems brought on by smoking is to not smoke. About 90% of people with mouth cancer have used tobacco and smokers are 6x more likely than nonsmokers to develop this kind of cancer.

If you currently smoke, stopping as quickly as possible is the best course of action. If you need help quitting, the CDC recommends:

• Getting help from a doctor
• Try a form of counseling, whether it be individually or with a group
• Nicotine replacement products, over-the-counter or prescription

There’s not one method that is a going to work for everyone. Taking the time to learn about the options and resources you have available can help you quit smoking faster, and to stay done with it.

Make an Appointment

Dr. Porter with Premier Dentistry of Eagle is here to help you get a healthy mouth. If your mouth has suffered from the effects of smoking, make an appointment today to learn about your options to get your smile back on track. Call us at (208)-546-0655!