Most people are now aware that smoking can affect their lungs and heart. The warnings have been around for decades and are now widely accepted. Fewer people though realise that smoking can also be very harmful to their teeth and gums.<\/p>\n
In many cases, the most obvious issue that smoking causes is that of discoloured teeth. This can range from a light yellow colour to a dark brown one in the case of heavy and regular smokers. While this is a matter for concern from an aesthetic point of view, it doesn\u2019t really compare with the more serious issues.<\/p>\n
There are a number of reasons why gum disease might occur and that includes poor cleaning; allowing the tartar to build up on the teeth. Various things that can be done to reduce the risk and the most significant of all of course, is to quit smoking. There are two main stages to gum disease, gingivitis, an earlier stage, and periodontitis, a more advanced form. Sometimes these are silent but other times symptoms such as inflammation of the gums, bleeding and even bad breath might occur.<\/p>\n
Gingivitis is often reversible with improved cleaning and changes in habits (including smoking). Periodontitis, on the other hand, is more serious and affects the roots of the tooth and the bone around it. This can damage the bone and cause teeth to become loose and \u2018wobbly\u2019 and even eventually fall out altogether. Treatment is available at this latter stage in the form of a deep clean or \u2018root planing\u2019. It is highly invasive though and not a guaranteed success, leaving prevention as the best way to avoid this.<\/p>\n
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There are a number of ways in which smoking can cause or aggravate gum disease<\/a>. One of these is the chemicals within the smoke which can irritate the soft tissues of the mouth. The smoke also often causes a dry mouth (especially when combined with alcohol). This is one of the things that can lead to a growth in the number of bacteria in the mouth that contribute to gum disease. Finally, within the gums are a network of tiny blood vessels that transport oxygen around the area and aid any healing that is needed. The nicotine in tobacco products has the effect of narrowing these blood vessels and restricting the flow of oxygen. This makes it harder for the gums to fight off infection and this includes the bacteria that cause gum disease as well as slowing down the healing of any cuts or scratches as well.<\/p>\n As the title of today\u2019s blog suggests, it isn\u2019t just cigarettes but all tobacco products that can contribute to gum disease. This not only includes cigars and pipes but snuff, and increasingly, tobacco pouches that are pressed between the teeth and gums. The idea of these is to release the nicotine into the bloodstream, but the single location of these means that this particular area is at real risk of some potentially serious harm .. and not \u2018just\u2019 gum disease.<\/p>\n Although the focus of this blog is gum disease, and specifically periodontitis, there is another serious issue that has to be mentioned. Smoking is the number one cause of mouth and oral cancers in the UK. This affects around eleven thousand people a year in the UK and causes around three and a half thousand fatalities. Of those that survive, there may well be issues such as facial deformities, speech and eating problems. Quitting smoking will greatly improve your chances of avoiding this.<\/p>\nNot just cigarettes<\/h3>\n
Oral cancers<\/h3>\n
Regular professional cleaning<\/h3>\n