Smoking: Don’t Dismiss the Dental Drawbacks

Most people understand how harmful smoking can be to your lungs and heart. But did you know that smoking can also wreak havoc on your mouth? The dental health risks of using cigarettes, cigars, pipes or vaping products are worth noting!

How Does Smoking Affect Oral Health?

The list of consequences that smoking can have on your oral health is quite broad. It certainly goes beyond bad breath and yellow teeth. In fact, nicotine can cause irreversible damage to your gums due to its vasoconstrictive properties that limit the nutrient supply to these important soft tissues. At Smiles by Seese, we always encourage patients to kick their smoking habit for the sake of their smile health. You may be very surprised at how diverse and disruptive the drawbacks can be if you have a tobacco habit.

Depending on how much you smoke and how long you’ve been smoking, you may suffer a combination of the following dental health disruptions:

• Persistent bad breath
• Discolored teeth
• Hardened Plaque (tartar) build-up
• Aggressive gum disease
• Jaw bone loss
• Shifting teeth
• Missing teeth
• Oral cancers
• Mouth sores
• Root decay
• Sinusitis
• Hairy tongue
• Smoker’s lip (like a burn)
• Altered sense of taste and smell
• Delayed wound healing

Let us Restore Your Smile and Help You Quit

At Smiles by Seese, we are fully equipped to restore your dental health if the effects of smoking have already set in. In the meantime, however, we suggest doing your part to stop this harmful oral habit. Check out these Tips from Former Smokers from the CDC on how to quit.