It’s common knowledge that smoking is not good for you. It’s bad for your whole body, with notable diseases like mouth, lung, and throat cancer being some of the worst side effects. Smoking also shrinks your capillaries (small veins that supply blood to your extremities), making circulation more difficult for the body.
No tobacco products are good for you. Chewing tobacco has some even worse oral side effects than smoking. However, cigarettes are by far the most popular tobacco product worldwide. What are the biggest risks to your oral health that come from smoking cigarettes?
Tooth Loss
Losing teeth is just one of the many effects of smoking, and one of the most serious. Tooth loss is affected by several factors when it comes to smoking, and there are two main factors that cause loss of teeth.
Gum Infections
As we mentioned before, smoking decreases blood flow to the capillaries. This affects your heart and other organs, including the mouth. Restricted blood flow within the mouth makes it harder for the gums to fight infections. When gum infections get out of control, they cause periodontitis. Periodontal disease can loosen the teeth where they are attached to the gums, and eventually cause loss of teeth. Not only can smoking cause this, but smoking makes recovery from periodontal disease much more difficult. Smokers are almost 3 times more likely to get periodontal disease than non-smokers. Read more about proof that smoking causes, and worsens periodontal disease here.
Long story short: smoking causes and worsens periodontitis, which can lead to tooth loss.
Gum infections can also threaten the body as a whole. When infectious bacteria from periodontal disease enters the bloodstream, it can cause build up of bacteria in the arteries and heart. Bacteria attaching to fatty deposits in the heart and blood vessels can lead to heart attacks and blood clots.
Plaque and Tartar Build Up
Plaque is a sticky biofilm made of bacteria that clings to teeth. These bacteria convert sugars into acids, which can damage the enamel and inside of teeth if untreated. When enough plaque builds up, it hardens, stains yellowish, and becomes tartar.
Smoking dries out the mouth, reducing saliva flow. One of the many good reasons to stay hydrated is increased saliva production. Saliva in the mouth helps wash away the bacteria that cause plaque and tartar.
Nicotine, the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, also increases the build up of plaque on the teeth.
Oral Cancer
Tooth loss may be bad, but cancer can be fatal. Cancer is the term for a disease caused when cells stop replicating properly. The new cells are damaged, painful, and spread. Smoking causes various types of cancers, among them oral cancers.
Oral Cancer Sores
Oral lesions are sores/patches that form in the oral cavity (in and around the mouth). They can appear in many areas, including:
- Gums
- Inside the cheeks
- Tongue
- Lips
- Underneath the tongue (mouth floor)
- Palate (roof of the mouth)
- Sinuses
- Larynx (pharyngeal cancer)
Symptoms of Oral Cancer
- Sores or lesions in and around the mouth
- Intense throat pain
- Pain from chewing and/or swallowing
- Bleeding in the mouth without a clear cause
- Swelling of the mouth/jaw
- Numbness in the mouth, face, and/or neck with no clear reason
- Formation of bumps in and around the mouth
- White/red spots forming inside the mouth
The symptoms of oral cancer can range from severe to mild, making it insidious and sometimes difficult to spot early. If you think you may be at risk, contact an oral health professional immediately.
In the US, over 50,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed every year. Of those cases, the vast majority of them are smokers. Other factors that increase oral cancer risk are alcohol consumption, genetics, smokeless tobacco, and untreated oral diseases.
Cavity Formation
As mentioned before, smoking increases plaque build up and decreases saliva flow. This is a two-factor hit on the teeth and enamel.
Increased plaque means more bacteria producing acids on the surface of the teeth. This means a wearing down of the enamel. Once the enamel is gone, the acid gets to the interior of the teeth, creating small holes called cavities. Without enough saliva to wash away the plaque and bacteria, a smoker’s mouth is a perfect place for cavity formation.
Tooth Staining
The plaque/tartar build up is usually yellowish. Not only do smoker’s mouths develop more yellowish tartar, but the nicotine in cigarettes also stains things yellowish. You’ve probably noticed that heavy smokers have yellowed fingers, and stains around their mouths/face/facial hair. This type of staining isn’t from plaque accumulation, just from nicotine.
Smoking doubly yellows the teeth by increasing tartar and with nicotine staining.
Take Care of Your Oral Health
If this long and scary list of the dangers of smoking has you worried about your oral health, don’t worry. Remember that brushing twice a day, flossing, and drinking plenty of water go a long way to a healthy mouth.
If you are unsure about your oral health, want advice on stopping smoking, get in touch with us. Josey Lane Dentistry is a Carrollton Texas office, and we are committed to providing the best oral health care and advice. It’s never too late to start treating your mouth, teeth, and gums right.
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