Health is important, and it’s no surprise that our overall well-being affects our oral health as well. Smoking is one of the main causes of oral disease, which lead to bad breath and could be the reason for bad teeth. Everyone knows that smoking isn’t good for you and your lungs, but because it’s an addiction, people tend to overlook its other negative effects on the mouth.

It’s not a secret that smoking is bad for your health. Everyone knows about cancer, heart disease, and–let’s not forget–the smell. But smoking also affects your oral health to a great extent.

It’s not easy to quit, but taking care of your oral health while you smoke can either delay the further consequences or reduce the chances of getting affected by its effects. Let us first understand what happens if you smoke, and what can you prevent if you take care of your teeth.

Effects of smoking on your teeth

The side effects of smoking on your teeth and gums are important for you to know about because no one wants to have ” smoker’s teeth”. No one will want a bad smile and watch their gums recede away. All one would want is to smoke without having to ruin their teeth, right? Let’s look at what goes wrong with your teeth when you smoke.

Early tooth loss

Smoking is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Smoking doubles the chance of developing gum disease. Some studies have even shown that smoking can make people more susceptible to periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to tooth loss. The side effects of smoking on your teeth and gums are important for you to know about because no one wants to have a bad smile and watch their gums recede away. With every puff, it leads to the removal of minerals from your mouth and makes it more prone to gum disease, cavities and bad breath.

Gum health

Smoking can worsen other oral problems, and cause puffy and bleeding gums. Receding gums can make teeth look longer than normal and expose tooth roots – which aren’t. This makes it easier for plaque and bacteria to accumulate on the exposed tooth surfaces further worsening the gum condition.

Smoking stains on teeth

Cigarette smoking can leave you with stained teeth, and in turn an increased risk of cavities.

It can also greatly affect the appearance of your smile. Many smokers develop a condition called smoker’s melanosis, which causes brown or yellow staining on the front six teeth. This is mainly due to the various chemicals and nicotine that causes stains. Smoking is particularly likely to stain the upper front teeth because of the way people smoke.

Smokers breath

It’s no secret that smoking is bad for your health. But fewer people realize that it’s also harmful to your oral health. If you smoke, you’re more likely to have bad breath. this is called the smokers breath.

Dark lips and gums

Smoking causes such problems as stained teeth, bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. Secondhand smoke has also been linked to these problems. The most serious effect of smoking on oral health is mouth cancer. If you notice any swelling or red or white patches in your mouth sores that don’t heal after 2 weeks, make an appointment with your dentist right away.

Tooth cavities

The chemicals in cigarettes can stain teeth yellow or brown. These stains can be hard to remove with traditional brushing, but luckily there are other ways to combat them. When the tar from cigarettes mixes with saliva, it can cause plaque buildup on teeth leading to tooth decay.

Plaque and tartar build up

Smoking makes it harder to remove plaque by brushing and flossing, so it’s more likely to build up over time. The bacteria in plaque produce toxins that irritate gum tissue, causing them to become red, swollen and more likely to bleed. These changes can lead to gingivitis. If gingivitis isn’t treated, it can develop into periodontitis (gum disease). Periodontitis occurs when plaque builds up along the gum line and infects the tissue holding teeth in place. It leads to permanent damage of the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth.

Dry mouth

Smoking reduces the amount of saliva in your mouth. This means it’s harder for your body to fight off infections and repair damage to your teeth and gums. It also causes a high level of plaque to build up on your teeth, increasing the risk of decay

You can save it all

Smoking is unhealthy for everyone but especially for your oral health. Smoking can cause gum disease, and tooth decay and ruin the enamel on your teeth. It’s in the best interest of one to quit smoking to avoid all the overall health issues and oral problems. Quitting smoking will definitely improve the condition of your teeth if you do something about it. But quitting is not easy we get it! But why smoke at the cost of your teeth? You can smoke without ruining your teeth.

You can reverse smoking effects on your teeth with just regular 6 monthly teeth cleaning and 3 monthly teeth polishing.

Teeth cleaning a must for smokers

Because it all starts with plaque it is very important to treat the root cause in order to prevent what’s coming next. Teeth cleaning aims to remove the root cause of all dental-related smoking effects. Teeth cleaning is a procedure where all the plaque, bacteria and food debris are flushed out. The cleaning is done from all sides of every tooth and in between the crevices of the gums. This makes sure that there is no accumulation of plaque or food particles in your mouth. This makes your mouth 100% bacteria-free.

How can smokers benefit from teeth cleaning?

• It is done to remove all the stains, plaque and hard calculus(tar tar) deposits on the surface of your tooth which has accumulated as a result of smoking. This naturally improves the condition of your gums and makes a healthy environment for the good bacteria in the mouth.
• Teeth cleaning reduces the gum swelling and puffy gums caused due to smoking. It also improves blood circulation in the gums making them appear lighter rather than dark. Regular gum massaging can lighten the color of your gums.
• Teeth cleaning every 6 months and polishing every 3 months can also improve the overall oral hygiene and prevent bleeding gums too.
• Improved gum health naturally paves way for a good bone health saving you from early toothloss. Cleaning helps create healthy conditions for the gums to reattach to the tooth and prevent loose gums.

• Since teeth cleaning helps you get rid of the bad bacteria and plaque, it sequentially keeps cavities and bad breath at bay.

• Regular dental checkups are important for all smokers and ex-smokers so that any damage to their teeth and gums can be monitored and treated properly.

The bottom line

Smoking will not affect your teeth if you regularly get a 6 monthly teeth cleaning and polishing. This is because getting a professional teeth cleaning will work at the root level of eliminating stains and plaque on your teeth. So if you want to continue the habit you might as well get a teeth cleaning to protect your teeth and your smile.

Highlights

• Effects of smoking can ruin your teeth and your gums.
• One of the main reasons why smokers are more prone to dental problems is because of increased levels of plaque and bad bacteria in the mouth.
• Eliminating plaque will eliminate smoking related dental problems.
• Teeth cleaning is a procedure that aims to remove the stains and plaque from the tooth surfaces.
• This procedure can reverse the effects of smoking on your teeth and gums.
• If you cannot quit smoking , the least you can do is protect your oral health with regular teeth cleaning every 6 months to avoid dental problems.
• If believing in myths are holding you back from teeth cleaning then change your mind. Teeth cleaning is the way to go about it.