Although smoking may look fun and exciting, this is one habit that is very destructive to your oral health and, generally, your overall health. You could generate a simple pleasure with a few puffs, but slowly and gradually, it brings harm to the body, and this harm becomes apparent after some time. Smoking predisposes you to dental complications, harms your gums and teeth, and may cause severe issues. It also decreases your body’s capacity to keep your mouth clean, which increases these risks even further.

Below are some of the effects of smoking on oral health you will likely experience. Each cigarette contains several chemicals that are very dangerous to your teeth and gums, affecting the overall appeal and health of your mouth. The long-term effects of smoking could lead to higher risks of having severe oral health problems and general health diseases. Read on to better understand why you should quit smoking to protect your oral health and why it is important not to start smoking if you have not.

Smoking Dries Your Mouth

Smoking causes dryness in the mouth, one of the first noticeable effects. The chemicals in tobacco reduce saliva production, causing a condition called Xerostomia, or dry mouth. Saliva is vital in the mouth as it buffers acids, cleanses the mouth, and has antimicrobial properties. Smoking interferes with the normal healthy balance and development of teeth and gums, enabling plaque to build up and cause tooth decay, cavities, and gum diseases. Dryness of the mouth also leads to bad breath because saliva does not remove odor-causing bacteria. This dryness over time can cause discomfort to your gums, increasing chances of inflammation, infection, and other severe dental complications.

Cavities start forming when bacteria produce acids that dissolve the outer protective layer of the teeth called the enamel. Saliva helps reduce their impact. You will thus have to incur costs associated with treating cavities that were avoidable. The treatment entails examination and X-rays to determine the extent of the damage. The decayed portion is then removed, and the tooth is filled with composite resin or amalgam. If the decay has reached the inner pulp, the dentist has to open the root canal, remove the infected tissue, and fill the canal with filler or a crown.

Gum disease affects the gums and other tissues found in the mouth. The first stage of gum disease is managed by scaling and planing, where the dentist scrapes off the plaque and tartar from the gum line. In some more severe cases, other forms of treatment may be needed. These include antibiotics or, in some cases, flap surgery to access and remove plaque, tartar, or deposits in the deeper pockets, or even open flap surgery where the specialist has to cut away the gum tissue to access the pockets.

All these procedures are avoidable when you quit smoking. When you smoke, you also have to deal with the loss of eating pleasures, which is a basic necessity in life because smoking dulls your sense of taste.

Teeth Discoloration

It is a known fact that cigarettes leave tar and nicotine residues on your teeth. This is the cause of your stained teeth. It is a sticky substance that adheres to your enamel with every cigarette puff and causes staining. Nicotine, which has a yellowish hue when it comes in contact with oxygen, affects your teeth' color and makes them even yellow over time. This staining is usually tough to remove by brushing and over-the-counter whitening agents. Moreover, smoking contributes to enamel deterioration and exacerbates dental issues like gum disease, impacting both the health and appearance of your teeth.

Severe staining can significantly affect your self-confidence and self-image. Your smile is key. Noticeable discoloration can make you feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. Teeth that are badly stained could cause you to avoid smiling openly and steer clear from social and business activities where smiling is essential. This may be damaging to your relationships and make you appear to be less friendly or confident.

Prolonged discoloration can make you feel uncomfortable and conscious of being stared at. You may think your smile is not as good as others, and isolating yourself from others may feel necessary at the time, but it will not be good for your health.

Severely stained teeth are professionally addressed through whitening to restore them to an aesthetically pleasing state and restore your smile and self-esteem. Although these treatments are effective, it is best to quit smoking to avoid further discoloration and maintain healthier teeth.

Smoking Inflames Your Gums

Smoking also worsens gingivitis or gum inflammation. Nicotine and tar in tobacco products cause inflammation of the gum tissues, which causes the gums to be swollen, red, and tender. These irritations interfere with the normal healing process and enhance plaque formation.

Smoking weakens your immune system, making it difficult for your body to fight off bacterial infections in your mouth. As a result, gingivitis can progress to more severe gum disease, specifically periodontitis. Periodontitis causes the gums to recede and create pockets where bacteria can proliferate. The bacteria damage the bones. Once this happens, the teeth become loose and may even fall out.

When you have inflamed gums, you could experience the following problems:

  • Pain and discomfort — They can lead to gum inflammation and thus cause pain while eating or brushing the teeth.
  • Bleeding gums — Inflammation of the gum makes it sensitive, so if you brush your teeth or floss the gums, they will easily bleed.
  • Bad breath — The bacteria and plaque buildup causes a foul odor in the mouth.
  • Tooth mobility — This is particularly because gum disease can progress and affect the bones that hold the teeth, thus making the teeth loose.
  • Systemic health issues — You could experience a pathophysiologic process like chronic inflammation, which is associated with other diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus.

Note: Smoking also decreases circulation to the gums and interferes with the healing process and the formation of new tissue.

Smoking Increases the Risk of Oral Leukoplakia

Smoking is known to significantly raise the risk of leukoplakia, which is characterized by white patches in the mouth. These patches, seen on cheeks, tongue, gums, or the roof of the mouth, are due to excessive keratin production from constant inflammation of the oral mucosa.

The harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke irritate the sensitive tissues in your mouth, leading to abnormal cell growth and keratin buildup. Although leukoplakia is a non-cancerous condition, it could signal a higher risk of oral cancer. Persistent or changing patches might indicate a progression toward malignancy.

Smoking also slows the body’s capacity to heal and repair tissues in the mouth, which worsens the condition. These changes due to smoking are continuous, and thus, the need to have a routine dental checkup to check on the patches.

In the case of leukoplakia, a dentist could recommend a biopsy to check for cancerous changes. Treating leukoplakia as soon as possible and stopping smoking is the key to a healthy oral cavity and cancer prevention.

You Expose Yourself to Oral Cancer

Every time you take a puff of a cigarette, you are inhaling carcinogens, which are substances that dramatically increase your risk of oral cancer. Tobacco smoke comprises more than 7,000 chemicals. These include nicotine, tar, formaldehyde, benzene, and nitrosamine. Of these, at least 250 are reported to be toxic and associated with cancer.

These harmful chemicals come into direct contact with the sensitive tissues of the mouth, including the gums, the tongue, the lips, and the inner cheeks. Continuous exposure results in cell injury and DNA changes. These carcinogens can change these cells' DNA, making them grow and form tumors. These tumors are usually benign at first, but if not treated, they can become cancerous and metastasize.

As mentioned before, smoking weakens your immune system, making it less effective at detecting and destroying abnormal cells before they develop into cancer. The weakened defense, coupled with the carcinogenic exposure that you are likely to continue to be exposed to, dramatically increases your risk of oral cancer.

The probability of oral cancer increases with the level of smoking and with the years of smoking. This is because carcinogens build up and cause harm even if the habit is not indulged in frequently or occasionally. It is often not easy to recognize the signs of periodontal disease in the initial stages. That is why dental checkups are vital.

Similar to other forms of cancer, oral cancer treatment needs to be comprehensive and tailored to the stage and site of the tumor, as well as the patient’s general state of health. Doctors could first decide to perform surgery in which the tumor is excised. This can extend from simple surgeries like cutting off a small tumor to complex surgeries that could entail partial or total removal of the mouth, tongue, or jaw. When a lot of tissue is removed, your dentist could recommend reconstructive surgery to help you regain both form and function.

Often, radiation therapy follows surgery as the next treatment modality. This treatment involves using high-energy rays to help destroy cancerous tissues, hoping to reduce tumors and eliminate cancerous cells. Radiation therapy is generally administered in daily sessions for several weeks, often in conjunction with surgery, for greater effectiveness.

Chemotherapy is also helpful in treating oral cancer. This approach involves using powerful drugs to kill cancer cells or prevent their spread. Chemotherapy may be given systemically through the mouth or vein together with surgery and radiation for cancers that have spread to other sites, like the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

Targeted therapy is another treatment that is a bit more specific since it employs drugs that are made to work only on cancer cells and not the normal ones. This therapy is effective for cancers with specific genetic mutations or markers. Likewise, immunotherapy enhances the body’s natural defenses against diseases and helps the body identify cancer cells when other treatments are less effective.

Supportive care is essential throughout the treatment process. You will require care, including pain control, feeding, swallowing, and speaking. Counseling also assists patients in dealing with the psychological issues associated with cancer and its treatment.

Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer, and therefore, it is best to stop smoking. After quitting, your body starts to heal, and although your risk remains higher than that of someone who has never smoked, it decreases significantly over time.

Are There Hidden Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco?

Smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco, snuff, and dissolvable tobacco might seem like safer alternatives to smoking. However, this is a very dangerous misconception. While the user does not breathe in smoke, these products provide large doses of nicotine and are, therefore, very addictive. Further, the amount of nicotine in chewing tobacco may be much higher than in cigarettes. A can of snuff may contain more nicotine than 60 cigarettes, which creates a powerful addiction and makes quitting nearly impossible. It takes only a few seconds for the nicotine to go straight to your brain through the tissues of your mouth.

The risks are not limited to the development of dependency. Smokeless tobacco products also have other toxic substances, like nitrosamine, which has been proven to have carcinogenic effects. They significantly raise your chances of getting cancer in different parts of the body, including the mouth, lips, tongue, throat, esophagus, and pancreas.

When used for a long time, smokeless tobacco causes serious oral health problems. This tobacco gets in touch with the tissues of your mouth and leads to the pulling back of gums. Your gums will recede from the teeth, making the root of the teeth sensitive to changes in temperature and prone to cavities and infections.

Smokeless tobacco is rough on teeth. When sugars are added to this substance, dental erosion and tooth decay are worsened, affecting oral health. Also, smoking tobacco may lead to leukoplakia.

Further, it is important to note that the use of smokeless tobacco is lethal to your general well-being. Nicotine raises your blood pressure and your pulse, which puts you at risk for heart disease or a stroke. The stimulant effects of nicotine put a considerable amount of pressure on your cardiovascular system. They can cause diseases such as hypertension and arrhythmias and can lead to severe complications in the long run.

Should I Be Worried About Vaping?

Yes, you should. Vaping is equally dangerous. When the ingredients of the vape juice are heated, acids are produced. These acids cause the tooth enamel to wear out, increasing your vulnerability to cavities and sensitivity. Likewise, vaping decreases the production of saliva, which causes dry mouth, and the likelihood of gum diseases increases. The residue left behind by the e-juice is also sticky, increasing bacterial growth on the teeth and thus worsening oral health.

How Do I Quit Smoking?

When you decide to quit smoking, your dentist can provide essential support and resources to help you succeed. These could include the following:

  • Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) — NRT assists you in overcoming nicotine withdrawal symptoms and mouth cravings since it provides nicotine in small portions and without the other dangerous substances contained in cigarettes. There are many forms, like gum, patches, tablets, and nasal sprays. The doctor prescribes some, while others can be bought without a prescription. Your healthcare provider will guide you on the right type and dosage depending on your smoking habits and your health status.
  • Prescription medications — Zyban (bupropion) and Chantix (varenicline) are some of the drugs that can help you quit. Zyban helps to minimize cravings and withdrawal effects as it influences the neurotransmitters in the brain that are associated with addictions. Chantix helps to reduce the desire for cigarettes and decrease the pleasure that is obtained from smoking by replicating the effects of nicotine. Your doctor will assess your physical condition to decide the best medicine.
  • Smoking cessation programs — These provide a more systematic way to stop smoking since they include counseling, support groups, and behavior modification. Counseling focuses on the psychological factors associated with smoking, including the causes and coping mechanisms. Motivational support groups offer encouragement and identify with one another, while behavioral support teaches ways to alter smoking behaviors. Your healthcare provider can suggest the one you should join or direct you to the right program.

Find a Dentist Near Me

Smoking poses an exceptionally high risk to your dental health. The above-mentioned are among the dangers you are bound to face. Quitting is the only way to avoid them and improve your oral health. If you are not ready to quit yet, try to engage your dentist on how to reduce the effects while you work on terminating the habit. Your dentist can offer treatments to tackle issues caused by smoking. Regular check-ups, cleanings, and expert advice will help you manage these problems and maintain your oral health.

To get the best dental services and assistance for your change towards a healthier and smoke-free smile in Hawthorne, call Ganji Dental at 310-643-8045. Schedule an appointment with us and take the first step towards improving your oral health.