Smoking is detrimental to your health overall, but it is also detrimental to your dental health in particular. Smoking can cause a range of side effects that can lead to tooth loss and other complications. Most agree that smoking cessation is a highly positive step to take in preserving your oral health.

Side Effects of Smoking

In addition to reducing your ability to breathe fully and often leading to lung cancer or other cancers, smoking leads to several unwanted effects on your teeth and other oral tissues. Smoking can cause:

• Severe discoloration of the surfaces of the teeth
• Increased likelihood of decay and gum disease
• Dry mouth
• Oral cancers

The most common side effect of smoking is a brown stain on the teeth, caused by the nicotine in cigarettes. This is, however, far from the most serious side effect. Smoking increases the likelihood of decay and gum disease by changing the acid balance in the mouth and by triggering dry mouth. Severe decay and gum disease can lead to tooth loss.

Smoking also affects your ability to heal because it reduces efficient blood circulation. If you lose teeth, you might not be a good candidate for dental implants because of your impaired healing ability.

Smoking and Oral Cancers

The various substances that lead to lung cancer can also lead to oral cancers. Dentists now check for signs of oral cancer such as irregularities in the mouth tissues or unexplained lumps or growths. Other forms of tobacco use can also trigger oral cancers. Chewing tobacco is particularly likely to lead to cancer of the mouth or jawbone. Treating this type of cancer often leads to severe deformation of the face. In addition, oral cancers tend to have a lower recovery rate than many other forms of cancer.

Our dentists can help treat any problems that might result from your smoking as well as offering referrals to help you stop smoking. In the long term, if you smoke, smoking cessation is the best thing you can do for your health.

For more information about quitting smoking, schedule your appointment with our dental office by calling our office today.