Smoking and chewing tobacco is not just bad for your health. According to Wheatland Family Dental, putting a pinch between your cheek and gum or puffing on a cigarette, cigar, or pipe is just as dangerous for your teeth and gums.

Smoking and oral health is a huge factor when it comes to your overall health and well-being. 

Why Chewing Tobacco is Bad for Teeth and Gums

Bad breath aside, smoking and chewing tobacco stains your teeth and causes tooth decay. Chewing tobacco is loaded with sugar for flavor enhancement, artificial flavoring, and chemicals. Sugar breaks down into acids that destroy tooth enamel. Especially bad is the bacterium that irritates gum tissue. People who chew tobacco are twice as likely to suffer from tooth loss. Just another reason to consider smoking and oral health.

Dr. Karmy from Wheatland Family Dental explains that chewing tobacco also puts the user at risk for throat and mouth cancers. Because the toxins from the tobacco are often swallowed through saliva, bladder cancer is also a risk.

Smoking and Oral Health is an Issue

Smoking cigars, pipes, cigarettes, and even hookah pipes affect teeth and gums. While most people are aware that smoking stains teeth and causes bad breath, most don’t know that it also causes tooth decay and gum disease.

Because smoking affects gum tissue it causes gum disease. If left untreated periodontal disease, more serious than gingivitis, will cause tooth loss.

People who smoke are also more susceptible to blood flow impairment. This affects healing, especially after oral procedures. Because the oxygen isn’t flowing through the bloodstream, as it should, smokers don’t heal as fast and are more susceptible to infection. Smoking is also one of the leading causes of oral cancer.

Smoking and Oral Health is Vaping Safer?

In a word, no, vaping is not safe for oral health. Studies show that constant sucking on the vaping pen or pipe causes problems with gum tissue. Your dentist in Walla Walla is seeing an increase in gingivitis and periodontal disease among vapers.

While more studies need to be conducted, it’s safe to say that vaping isn’t safe for teeth and gums.

If you would like more information regarding smoking and oral health, call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Karmy from Wheatland Family Dental today.