Why is Smoking the worst enemy for your Oral Health

How does smoking affect oral health?

Smoking is known to weaken our body and our immune system. This makes it harder to fight off any dental infection/bacteria. Smoking can potentially lead to tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases, mouth cancer. Once gum damage occurs, smoking makes it harder for the gums to heal. Tobacco use in any form per se cigarettes, pipes, chewable tobacco, raises the risk for gum diseases. People who smoke cigarettes or consume tobacco in any form have a greater risk of Periodontitis; due to the inability to heal faster, it makes having tooth extractions and surgery in the mouth more difficult. Smokers have a lowered resistance to infections.

What are the common complications caused by smoking? 

Smoking is known to cause severe complications and fatal diseases. But it’s not just the fundamental organs that it affects; it also affects all the dental aspects.

The most prevalent oral problems are: 

Periodontal disease 
Smoking leads to gum diseases. The gums are affected as smoking leads to the lack of oxygen flow in the bloodstream, which leads to the infected gums not healing on time. Smoking leads to the buildup of bacterial plague, causing gum diseases to worsen. This eventually leads to tooth loss. 

 Oral cancer 
 It is widely known that smoking leads to lung and throat cancer, but many still don’t know that it is one of mouth cancer’s main determinants.  

 Stained teeth
 Smoking leads to the staining of teeth due to the nicotine and tar in tobacco. It makes teeth yellower in a concise span. 

  Bad taste and bad breath
 This is a by-product of having a dry mouth and periodontal complications. 

 Smoker’s Keratosis
 Smoker’s keratosis is a white patch in the mouth that is painless; it occurs to a regular smoker. This thickened white/grey lesion is caused by tobacco and heat from smoking cigarettes. 

 Poor healing rate post mouth and gum surgery
 The gums are affected as smoking leads to the lack of oxygen flow in the bloodstream, which leads to the surgery marks not healing on time. 

Final Note 

Smoking puts one at a higher risk of developing oral cancer, gum problems, and various other dental complications. Therefore, it becomes important to look after your oral health to prevent gum disease and visit a dentist if you’re trying to quit smoking. Visiting a dentist is important as a smoker develops a heightened risk of developing various fatal or serious dental ailments. But if you’re someone who still smokes, it’s never too late to give up a bad habit and ensure a better future.