The Impact of Smoking on Dental and Oral Health

Many studies have proven that smoking can bring many negative effects on health overall. Smoking can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and also cause lung cancer. For pregnant women, smoking can lead to premature birth, miscarriage, and other pregnancy complications.

This warning is certainly not new news for you or anyone else, and the warning label is clearly displayed on every cigarette package. But did you know that cigarettes are also bad for gums, teeth, jawbone tissue, and oral health in general? This may be somewhat unfamiliar to you, as the impact of smoking on dental and oral health is still rarely discussed.

Negative Effects of Cigarettes on Dental and Oral Health

Stains and Color Changes in Teeth

Cigarettes can cause stains on teeth and color changes. Active smokers' teeth usually appear yellowish compared to those who have never smoked.

Bad Breath

One of the causes of bad breath is smoking. Cigarettes cause the mouth to become dry and can disrupt saliva gland production. In addition, tar and nicotine will reside in the oral cavity, which will certainly worsen overall oral health.

Damage to Teeth

Smoking will automatically increase the amount of plaque that adheres to teeth. The more plaque, the more decay, damage, and tooth erosion will occur.

Gum Disease

Tobacco will disrupt the function of gum cells and tissues. Why? Because harmful chemical substances will obstruct blood flow to the gums, hindering the supply of nutrients to the gums. This will ultimately lead to gum damage as the gums will separate from the bone, making them vulnerable to infection. Smokers are very susceptible to gum problems, such as swollen gums.

Oral Cancer

In addition to being a major cause of lung cancer, the habit of smoking can also cause oral cancer. Facts state that 90% of oral cancer patients are smokers.

Hairy Tongue

Hairy tongue is a condition characterized by the growth of hair on the tongue or papillae. The hair on the tongue can change color to brown or black due to cigarette consumption. This causes an unsightly appearance of the tongue, leading to bad breath.

Oral Cavity Problems

Smokers' palate is characterized by bumps with a red center occurring on the roof of the oral cavity, appearing white overall. This occurs due to irritation of the salivary glands with inflamed ducts.

Various negative effects can become even worse because smokers tend to neglect their overall oral and dental health. Quitting smoking is the best solution to this problem. By quitting smoking, the damaged gum tissue will improve, allowing teeth and gums to become healthy again. You should also know that the majority of smokers actually want to quit smoking, but they find it difficult to do so due to addiction.

Do not let yourself be enslaved by the addiction to cigarettes; instead, you must be able to fight that addiction. The above effects may not occur in the short term, but they usually start to happen a few years down the line, especially in old age. If you want to have a beautiful old age, then quit smoking from now on. That concludes the discussion about smoking and its negative effects on teeth and gums; I hope it is beneficial.