What Are the Harmful Effects of Tobacco Use on Dental Health?

Everyone understands that smoking can result in multiple health issues, but did you know smoking also affects your mouth? The medical fraternity has acknowledged that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. However, you might not know that smoking and tobacco use also causes mouth cancer.

When using tobacco in any form, you are putting your body and your mouth at risk because it affects your dental health. Besides leaving you with lousy breath and discolored teeth, the usage of tobacco results in long-term oral health issues. This article looks at how the use of tobacco in different forms affects your teeth, gums, and overall health. Kindly continue collecting more details about the detrimental effects of tobacco use on your dental health.

The Effect of Tobacco on Your Teeth

When you visit your dentist for dental exams in Tampa, the professional will notice tobacco stains on your teeth to recommend you have them removed to improve your aesthetic appearance. Tobacco usage also leaves your tongue discolored and changes the appearance of your palate.

Tobacco is abundant in tiny particles that are abrasive and sensitive to your teeth to wear them down gradually. When the particles mix with your saliva, they convert into an abrasive paste that helps wear down your teeth.

Tooth decay is a condition affecting smokers frequently. The nicotine in tobacco reduces saliva flow, resulting in xerostomia or dry mouth. Decreased saliva indicates that food particles are unlikely to remain stuck on your teeth and allow acid-producing microorganisms to eventually result in tooth decay. In addition, smoker’s teeth do not have the protection they need because their saliva is thicker.

Effects of Tobacco on the Gums

Continuous tobacco usage of smoking results in gum disease alternatively called periodontal disease. This infection is twice as likely to develop in people using tobacco smoking or chewing.

Smoking or chewing tobacco interferes with the regular function of the cells of gum tissue to make people using them not realize they have gum disease indicating they might allow the condition to progress to severe periodontitis before seeking treatment from dentistry in Tampa, FL.

Gum disease is incredibly problematic because studies reveal the chemicals in tobacco affect the attachment to the soft tissue to your teeth, eventually weakening the tooth attachment to cause tooth loss.

While basic dental care can help prevent gum disease, combining smoking and regular tobacco usage and neglecting dental cleanliness will likely result in gum disease and tooth loss. American adults over 70 encounter considerable challenges of tooth loss from gum disease.

Nicotine Hampers Mouth Healing

If you develop cuts and answers in the mouth because of your suppressed immune system from smoking, it reduces blood flow to the mouth area affected by the damage. The reduction in blood flow makes it challenging to replace missing teeth with implants or bridges when receiving dental treatments. In addition, your surrounding teeth and jawbone might also weaken from the infection, leaving them incapable of supporting new structures.

The Effects of Tobacco Usage on Your Mouth

The risk of fatalities from mouth cancer is higher among smokers and tobacco users. In reality, the risk of dying from mouth and throat cancer is ten times higher in males who smoke and five times more likely in females. Therefore if you notice any lumps, ulcers, discoloration, or sores in the mouth that don’t subside in three weeks, you must receive a dental exam by a dental professional to ensure you get the condition evaluated for oral cancer. The earlier you have oral cancer detected, the better your chances remain for a successful outcome from oral cancer treatment. Early detection and treatment also increase your chances of survival.

What To Do If I Am A Tobacco User?

If you are a Tobacco user, whether by smoking or chewing tobacco, the optimal thing you can do is to quit the habit. Your dental and overall health will thank you for the cessation, and your well-being will improve within a decade after you quit. For example, your risk of oral cancer decreases by 50 percent.

Quitting smoking is not an easy task. However, you can succeed if you surround yourself with appropriate resources. Requesting help from support groups, replacing tobacco with nicotine supplements, and setting achievable goals to help you kick the habit sooner or later. You can start developing a healthy mouth by scheduling regular appointments with your dentist, besides maintaining excellent dental hygiene by regular brushing, flossing, and having a nutritious diet.

Wang & Cortes Dental can help you if you intend to quit tobacco usage to improve your dental and overall health. Therefore if you need assistance with tobacco cessation, please do not hesitate to contact this practice for help today.