The Bad Effect of Smoking on Your Teeth and Mouth
If it’s not enough that smokers get the health risks of heart disease and cancer cast up to them at every given moment, there’s now a buzz about teeth and mouth issues to add to the grind!
Is there in fact some genuine concerns? Let’s take a closer look to see whether I should consider giving up smoking.
Wading through the articles on Oral health and smoking, and looking primarily from a self-preserving position of doubt, we narrowed down the main points to:
- Tooth staining
- Gum disease and tooth loss
- Mouth cancer
Well the first topic of tooth staining is nothing really new to most who smoke and those sitting in the smoking seats probably see it as a manageable condition – a position actually confirmed by most articles.
The regular use of Smokers tooth paste will help to contain staining, which is caused from tar and nicotine build up, but it is by no means full proof! You need to also book regular consultations with an oral hygienist to get the build-up fully contained.
So we move on to the matter of gum disease and tooth loss, which sounds a bit more serious. Now most sites make a generic statement that smoking leads to gum disease and tooth loss, but hell, so does eating too many sweets! I need a lot more if I’m going to be convinced about this. So reading on a bit, I come up with a site that puts a little more science to their claim.
They explain that bacterial plaque build-up causes gum disease and if left unchecked, it can lead to tooth loss. Now remember, I’m sitting firmly in the defence seat for smokers, so my immediate retort is, well that’s the case for anyone really, not just smokers! Unfortunately my defence comes under serious fire, as I happen upon the next paragraph.
Apparently, smokers have a reduced supply of oxygen in their blood stream, which retards the natural healing effect which your body would normally have. This allows bacterial plaque to accelerate and leads to gum disease and eventual tooth loss. Well difficult to argue that one – we’ll concede the point!
The final issue of mouth cancer is a compelling issue and one that is well deserving of close evaluation and concern! Most articles that I looked at, offered supportive data reflecting a direct correlation between smoking and mouth cancer. In short, you stand a considerably greater chance of contracting mouth cancer if you smoke than if you do not! The defence rests your Honour!
Sadly, it would seem that there is an indeed fair ground for the latest concerns regarding mouth cancer and the smoking fraternity should take time to acquaint themselves with the risks at hand! Kicking the habit will always be first prize, but if that is not to be, regular dental checks and oral hygiene procedures are an absolute necessity!