How tobacco affects the health of your mouth

by Wildsmile

Tobacco consumption and dental diseases

Smoking not only affects your whole body, it also severely damages the health of your mouth. Tobacco is the substance that most damages your gums, since nicotine reduces the blood flow to them, not allowing them to absorb the necessary nutrients, thus causing gingival recession, accumulation of bacteria that cause dental caries and periodontal pockets.

What other oral diseases does tobacco cause?

Cancer

Smokers are 5 times more likely to develop some form of oral carcinoma than non-smokers.

Implant failure

Over time, tobacco use reduces the osseous mass of the jaws, as well as the tissue that supports your teeth, causing them to displace and lose teeth. As bone density decreases, implants lose their ability to hold on and therefore their durability is affected.

Wound healing

Smoking also affects the scarring process, since tobacco smoke decreases the correct oxygenation. Likewise, nicotine causes poor blood circulation throughout your mouth.

Bad breath

Tobacco affects the bacterial flora in your mouth, making the bacteria decompose the food scraps left behind between your teeth. In addition, tobacco use causes xerostomia, which means your mouth stops producing enough saliva, causing irritation to the mucous membranes, leading to bad breath and canker sores.

Stained Teeth

Smoking affects the appearance of your teeth considerably, as it stains them with a yellowish colour due to the innumerable harmful chemicals that enter your mouth after every blow.

To stop smoking could be one of your New Year's resolutions, because as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it not only affects the health of your mouth and teeth, but the rest of your body. Remember that the only thing that should enter into your lungs is oxygen! Not the hundreds of toxic substances that every cigarette contains.