Preventative Dentistry
- Oral Hygiene Instructions |
- Smoking & Gum Disease |
- Diabetes & Oral Health |
- Dietary Advice |
- Periodontics & Gum Disease
Smoking & Gum Disease
Tooth staining and constant bad breath are the least of your worries when it comes to smoking and the severe detrimental effect is has on your oral health. One of the most harmful oral habits is smoking. Smoking is known to reduce saliva flow, effect circulation and one of the most devastating effects of tobacco is the development of oral cancer.
Debilitating side effects that you can expect if you smoke are:
- Sticky tar deposits or brown staining on the teeth
- Smoker's palate - red inflammation on the roof of the mouth
- Delayed healing of the gums
- Increased severity of gum disease
- Chronic bad breath
- Black hairy tongue
- Oral lesions
- Gum recession - the gums react by receding along the tooth root, exposing the root
The ill effects of smoking also makes many smokers unsuitable for various restorative dental procedures such as dental implants, as smoking will impede the recovery of the gum tissue and gum disease causes a reduction in jawbone density making it unsuitable for the implants to be placed.
The most significant preventive measure to stop these harmful effects is to stop smoking. When a person stops smoking, the risk of developing oral cancer reduces rapidly.
Quitting is very difficult, since it is an addiction. There can be temporary withdrawal symptoms that occur a short period after your last cigarette. Help and assistance is available through ‘Quitline’ and other government bodies. You may also find that nicotine patches may assist you during the quitting process.
