Every year, around 500,000 people die from the effects of tobacco. Many people know that smoking leads to lung cancer, but less known are the damages that chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes do to your oral health.
The Effects
Besides leading to multiple potentially fatal diseases, smoking and chewing also lead to stained teeth, bad breath, unhealthy gums, and many other detrimental oral diseases. Your teeth will become yellow and even brown after years of smoking, deteriorating the enamel of your tooth and leading to tooth decay. Gum disease is also likely for smokers. People that smoke produce bacterial plaque, & gum disease is quick to follow.
Smoking also weakens our immune system. Smoking inhibits oxygen from getting into the bloodstream, so the infections that commonly happened all over your body, and especially in your mouth, aren’t able to heal. This means that dental and oral diseases are more likely to spread and become much harder to contain due to smoking and tobacco use.
What You Can Do
If you are a smoker or user of tobacco products, it is vital that you continue to see your dentist regularly, as they examine not only your mouth, but your cheeks, tongue, and throat as well for any signs of cancer or other conditions. They also will be able to help you with solutions to quit, prompting better oral, and overall, health.
Interested in speaking to a dentist about additional implications of smoking? Give our dentists a call today at (602) 595-3600!
