Smoking is not particularly harmful to a person’s dental health, but it destroys overall health in many ways. It contains toxic and addictive substances such as Tar, Nicotine, carcinogens, and the list goes on. These substances bring silent and slow destruction to a person’s health and have a permanent impact, which is not easy to treat. Among its many harmful effects on the overall health of a person, some affect dental health.
Tooth discoloration, bad breath, increased risk of getting oral cancer, various gum diseases, etc. are some of the adverse effects smoking can have on your dental health. There are questions like whether smoking a pipe or a cigar can cause dental issues or not, and how smoking can cause diseases related to gums. Here are answers to such questions, along with the discussion on a few adverse effects smoking has on your dental health.
Smoking as a cause of various Gum Diseases
Often do people think that smoking has no impact on oral health, especially on gums. However, it isn’t the case.
Smoking has an equally adverse effect on gums as well. The toxic substance contained in the smoke of tobacco interacts with the bone of gums and its attachment to the teeth through soft tissues. Or, it seems as if it makes tissue cells of gums function abnormally hence increasing a smoker’s vulnerability to gum infections. On top of that, it also appears that it slows down the flow of blood in that area and makes the healing process slow and difficult.
Effects of Tar and Carcinogens
Carcinogens are the primary source of causing cancer of any sort. The ones that are contained in a cigarette can cause various types of cancers, such as lung cancer, blood cancer, oral cancer, etc. Tar, on the other hand, can cause plaque and tooth decay. Also, these substances are a prime cause of gum diseases. Gum diseases are the worst that can happen to a person’s oral and dental health. Reason being that the damage that they inflict upon the teeth is irreversible. A person suffering from a gum disease might even be advised for a complete tooth removal.
People addicted to smoking often lookout for ways of quitting smoking. There are many ways of quitting smoking, and dentists prescribe many of them. Dentists often recommend medications like nicotine patches and gums to smokers. Unlike a cigarette, Nicotine gums are harmless and also satisfy the addiction to smoking. So, they are a perfect substitute of smoking for someone who wants to quit this addictive habit. There are several other ways too that help a person quit smoking. One can always consult their dentist for sessions and awareness programs held by different health welfare associations across the world, should they ever feel the need to quit smoking.
