Stopping the use of tobacco products has a familiar ring this time of year. It is one of the top four most common resolutions made by Americans. Due to the addictive nature of these products, its also one of the hardest ones to keep. There are a myriad of reasons to stop smoking, but for your teeth we want to offer three good ones that wannabe non-smokers can recall during those difficult moments. Not only will they have a healthier mouth, but they will also heal faster and can use the money they would have spent on their annual pile of packs for dental care.
Changes Negative Oral Environment
Smoking causes and encourages dental problems such as bad breath, inflammation of gums and oral tissues, teeth staining, increased bacteria activity and the plaque and tartar buildup that goes with it, and jaw bone depreciation. Smoking also increases the possibility of gum disease, oral cancer, tooth loss, and a condition known as leukoplakia where white patches form in the oral cavity. Infections in the mouth are also more common.
Not all of these problems can be reversed simply by quitting cancer sticks, but it’s a great place to start.
Your oral health isn’t all that affected. It’s been 52 years since the first Surgeon General’s report that correlated smoking and health by adding to the list of illnesses that smoking directly contributes to. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over 20 million Americans have died since that first report, with 2.5 of them being non-smokers who inhaled second hand smoke.
Pregnancy outcomes are also affected by smoking. Spontaneous abortions in the first trimester increase in number as well as premature placenta abruption, preterm delivery, decreased birth weight, and even sudden infant death syndrome. Both sexes experience issues with their reproduction systems. Smoking females can have earlier menopause. Men can experience impotence and sperm abnormalities.
Helps Your Mouth Heal
When you give up cigarettes, your mouth and body will start to heal. This is especially important if you are quitting due to one of the illnesses or cancers that smoking causes. Relapsing into smoking while you recover from dental implantation, tooth extractions, deep periodontal treatment, or other infections or wounds in the oral cavity can slow down this healing.
Smoking alters the proper flow of blood to the gums (as well as the other areas of the body) by way of putting our brains into the fight or fight mode and releasing fat into the blood stream. Nicotine also accelerates the growth of vessels within vessels (fancy name is internal nicotine vascularization), which further narrows and clogs up the circulatory system. When your gums can’t get the blood they need, they get sick and lose their support of your teeth.
The American Cancer Society states that 90% of oral cancer sufferers use tobacco and they are six times more likely to develop them. 37% of cancer survivors that take up smoking after they’ve been cured will develop it again.
Pays for Dental Care
A great way to look at quitting is in terms of monetary gain. Money is a great motivator, especially in contrast to lofty numbers and statistics. The cost of a pack of cigarettes is usually around $7. Depending on frequency of your smoke break, you’ll spend about $2,550 annually. Also, if you invest in health insurance as a smoker, the premiums will be between 16% and 41% higher than a non-smoker. (Source: Assurant Health.) This is also the case for life and home owners insurance.
Now consider this: you take that $2,550 and put it back into your smile. A couple dental exams and cleanings in addition to a series of whitening treatments won’t even hit the half-way mark of what you’d spend on cigarettes in a year. Even if you add in a few periodontal treatments for a problem created by your previous habit, you’ll most likely still be in the green.
Need Some Direction on How to Quit?
The first step is to have a chat with your dentist and/or doctor. They can help you with nicotine cravings via prescription medication such as Zyban. They can also aid in the set-up of a tapering schedule with nicotine gum or patches if you’re going to use over the counter options.
Support groups and classes dedicated to smoking cessation can be highly beneficial in addition to drug therapy. They are often offered by hospitals, and paid for through your employer or health insurance company. “The American Lung Association has a free online program called Freedom from Smoking Online or you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.” (Source: Natural News.)
If you’d prefer something nix the prescription, you have some options. Herbal remedies can help with the symptoms of withdrawl. Ginger is great for nausea, lobelia can cut cigarette cravings, St. John’s Wort can elevate your mood out of depression, and passion flower can calm irritability. Rhodiola extract with breakfast can proliferate dopamine receptors to increase mood and energy. (Source: Natural News.) Herbal cigarettes can help with the habitual needs of specific days, times, and situations that a person feels they need a nicotine fix. These have much less of the chemicals regular cigarettes do.
Hypnosis and acupuncture have also been offered as other treatments to help you kick the habit. (Source: Web MD.)
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