Not only is smoking bad for your health, it is also very bad for your oral health as well.
Smoking can lead to the following dental problems:
- Gum disease
- Bone loss
- Tooth loss
- Tooth discoloration
- Bad breath
- Oral cancer
Studies have found that tobacco use may be one of the biggest risk factors in the development of periodontal disease. Periodontal (gum) disease is a bacterial infection. It destroys soft tissue and bone that keep your teeth in place.
In early stages of the disease, you may notice that your gums bleed when you brush or floss. You may also feel some sensitivity on your teeth too which is caused by your gums receding and some root be exposed. As this gets worse you start to notice that the gums start to pull away from the tooth when the gums start to pull away from your teeth, your teeth start to become loose and that can be painful and also lead to some teeth to fall out.
Not only does smoking increase the chance that you will develop gum disease, it makes treatment much more difficult. And the treatment is less likely to succeed.
That’s because smoking slows down the healing process in your mouth.
Given all of the risks and complications of smoking on oral health it is very important that smokers do not skip regular checkups with their dentists. By staying on top of regular dentist visits, smokers can also benefit from professional cleanings.
Having a proper oral hygiene plan is extremely important for smokers. Smokers should not only be brushing their teeth twice daily but also flossing and using mouthwash. The smoke is full of bacteria that affect your oral hygiene.
Be sure to find a toothbrush that reaches all the way to the back of the molars. And the bristles have to be hard enough to get all that tar off of the crevasses of the teeth. Smokers should also buy toothpaste that is made specifically for smokers, as they are chemically stronger and better able to tackle harder to clean bacteria.
