The Effects of Smoking on Oral Health

Smoking cigarettes can negatively affect every part of the human body. Oral health is especially vulnerable to the effects of tobacco use. The teeth of a smoker are usually instantly recognizable, because of the visible detrimental effects of cigarette smoking. But apart from staining of the teeth, what other dangers to oral health does smoking introduce? This article will take a look at how the mouth is impacted by cigarette smoking.

Firstly, gum disease. Tobacco smoking is among the major risk factors for developing gum disease. Furthermore, any gum disease present is often more aggressive in people who smoke. Tobacco smoking affects blood flow within the gums and so your body's ability to deal with oral plaque bacteria is diminished. Periodontal disease is a more severe type of gum disease. This indicates irreparable deterioration of the gum and bone tissue covering your teeth. Those that smoke tend to be more at risk of this kind of damage. The periodontal destruction may also develop faster in cigarette smokers and the outcome of gum treatment is usually less good compared with non-smokers. The gum degradation in turn causes tooth mobility and so loss of one's teeth.

Next, dental stains along with yellowing of the dentition. Cigarette smoking leaves characteristic brown or black staining on the surface of the teeth. Smokers teeth additionally turn yellowish as time passes. How much dental stains and discoloring will vary according to the amount smoked. False teeth, caps and fillings can also get discolored. This will be particularly true if smoking is combined with bad oral hygiene.

Oral cancer. Smoking cigarettes presents a range of hazardous chemical substances into the mouth. These kind of chemical compounds could, eventually, contribute to cancerous change to the oral tissues. Medical studies show that people who smoke will be six times more at risk of developing mouth cancer compared to those that never smoked. Alcohol abuse in conjunction with tobacco smoking will increase the likelihood of oral cancers even further.

Bad breath. Cigarette smoking causes bad breath or halitosis. In people who smoke, halitosis is principally brought on as a result of the retention and breathing out of the fumes.

Wearing down of teeth. Keeping a pipe or cigar in the same position whilst smoking could cause damage to the teeth. This may cause sensitivity as well as an ugly notched appearance of the damaged teeth.

Brown hairy tongue. Smoking cigarettes prevents the ordinary shedding of the surface cells from the tongue. As a result, one type of these cells becomes more lengthy, leading to an appearance like hair over the tongue surface. So a term of "hairy tongue" is applied to this unsightly condition.

Delayed wound recovery. Tobacco use can negatively affect any wound recovery inside the oral cavity. You should not cigarette smoke after having any oral surgery, like a tooth extraction. You're a lot more at risk of getting an unpleasant side effect called dry socket if you smoke soon after an extraction. Linked to this slow wound recovery, tobacco will likewise have an effect on the survival rates of dental implants. Dental implants in a smokers mouth will not set in to the jaw bone, as well as they do in a non-smoker. Any implants are also more in danger of not lasting due to bone and gum disease surrounding the dental implant.

Summary. A quick glance at a smokers teeth and the detrimental effects for oral health are obvious. But not only does tobacco use change the outward appearance of one's smile. Smoking can lead to considerably more severe consequences for the teeth, through advanced periodontal disease. A lot more serious still, tobacco use will definitely significantly raise the risks of developing mouth cancer.

Barry H. wrote this article about the possible effects of smoking on your oral health. A dentist, Barry has over 10 years experience in family/general dentistry. He has a website at http://dentalcarematters.com/, go have a look! The site is full of free, easy to understand advice on how to look after your dental health.

Read more on this topic here how smoking damages your teeth.

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