Smoking Affects Your Teeth

Many people have different habits, useful or harmful. It is worth thinking about such a bad habit as smoking. For many years, smoking has been the most common addiction that affects people today. It affects not only the overall health of a person but also the condition of his oral cavity. Many people who have this habit may wonder how it affects the health of their teeth. Teeth are not the first thing you think about when considering the effects of smoking, but objectively, any type of tobacco use can lead to damage to your oral cavity.

Using this article, you will learn more about the harm of tobacco to your teeth and the oral cavity in general, as well as how you can reduce the harm caused by smoking.

Changing the color of teeth

One of the most visible consequences of smoking is a change in the color of your teeth. The first signs of 1 or 2 years of addiction to nicotine are bad breath and yellowing of the teeth, which hardly can be removed with toothpaste. Also, this habit is the cause of smoking sains on the teeth.

Tooth Decay

Not many people associate smoking and tobacco use with the occurrence of caries. The reason for this is tobacco plaque, which becomes a catalyst for the development of bacteria. Simply put, the procedure of brushing your teeth becomes less effective and, it is much more difficult for a smoker to achieve perfect cleanliness of the oral cavity than for a non-smoker. The active chemical compounds contained in tobacco smoke are destroying the organic elements of tooth enamel, reducing its strength.

Periodontal Disease

Most often, periodontal disease cases are diagnosed among people who smoke than people who do not abuse smoking. Nicotine causes a narrowing of blood vessels in all tissues and organs, including the gums. As a result of circulatory disorders, atrophy of the gum mucosa develops.

Gradually, first, chronic gingivitis will develop, and then periodontal disease. In this disease, when the tissues surrounding the root of the tooth are affected, the risk of losing even a healthy tooth increases significantly.

Tooth loss

As our Salem dentists explain, the main cause of tooth loss associated with smoking is primarily caused by progressive caries and chronic periodontitis, where there is a strong inflammation of the gums. Another reason experts see is that many smokers do not notice signs of bleeding gums, so they go to the dentist too late, which also leads to significant problems over time, up to the complete loss of teeth.

In conclusion

Smoking has large numbers of side effects for the body in general and the oral cavity in particular. These are not just problems of the aesthetic component, but serious consequences, ignoring which can lead to complete tooth loss because of smoking. Even after abruptly quitting smoking, it takes some time for hard and soft tissues to recover. At the same time, all sorts of ways to lighten the enamel give only a temporary effect. Even experienced dentists are sometimes unable to help some patients whose teeth are damaged by smoking. The best way to keep a snow-white smile is to limit your tobacco consumption.

Do not hesitate, schedule your dental check-up with the dentist in Salem, MA. Contact us online or call our dental clinic in Salem, MA at 855-745-0055, we will be happy to help you!