How Smoking Hurts Your Mouth
Smoking tobacco can cause serious health problems and can also affect the appearance and health of your mouth and gums. While the effects of smoking on your lungs, heart and other organs are not visible to the naked eye, dental professionals can easily spot the evidence in the mouth.
Oral side effects of tobacco include:
- Oral cancers
- Periodontal (gum and bone) disease may progress more rapidly and severely
- Persistent bad breath
- Discoloured teeth
- Increase of plaque and tartar build-up
- Jaw bone loss and gum recession
- Mouth sores
- More cavities
- Hairy tongue and “smoker’s palate” (red inflammation of the roof of the mouth)
- Reduced sense of taste and smell
- Delayed healing of wounds after dental work
Smokers can expect to develop some combination of the above side effects, depending on the amount and length of time they have smoked.
Oral health benefits of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking will have a significant, positive impact on oral health by reducing the rate and incidence of gum disease, oral and throat cancers, and bone and tooth loss; allowing sores to heal and disappear and keeping teeth whiter and brighter.
Steps to a healthy mouth
Quitting smoking has a significant, positive impact on oral health, reducing the rate and incidence of gum disease and oral cancer. Talk to a dentist or doctor about developing a strategy to quit smoking. Using a nicotine replacement therapy as part of the quitting strategy, such as NICORETTE® Gum, can significantly increase success, and help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Source(s) - © McNeil Consumer Healthcare, division of Johnson & Johnson Inc. 2007
