The battle of cigarettes has been an issue in the United States, as well as worldwide, for decades. We know that smoking effects overall health, but why is it so bad for teeth? Oral health, unfortunately, is left in the dust when talking about the issues from smoking. Lung cancer and heart health are overwhelmingly the most spoken about and widely understood.
Daily, smokers suffer from the side effects of the ingredients found in cigarettes. Oral health should be among those popular topics in terms of smoking because oral health is completely diminished by cigarettes.
The tobacco epidemic as a whole has become more and more rampant. According to the American Dental Association, staining of the teeth and diminishing of taste is caused by tobacco products. Cigarettes are also the cause of bad breath and weakened immune systems.
With weakened immune systems caused by cigarettes and tobacco, gums become susceptible. People that smoke over nonsmoker’s experience higher occurrences of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease not only just effects the gums, but makes its way into the bone, which can cause infection to travel through the blood stream. Once infection enters the blood flow, you can expect infection to travel throughout the body. If you’re a smoker, you are more susceptible to deal with tooth decay, tooth loss, and bodily diseases because of the tobacco products entered into the daily life.
When your oral cavity is infected, your overall health is compromised. Because of how intertwined the two are, both infections need to be cleared up to have a healthy life. If you are a smoker, or know a smoker you are worried about having oral health issues, call your doctor to schedule a consultation. It is very important to get your doctors health and opinion on how to restore your oral health. Your doctor will also be able to walk you through the damage that has already ensued to your teeth and gums, and can let you know what your future oral health is bound to look like.
Understanding how cigarettes and tobacco use truly affect the body as a whole, including the oral cavity is important. Oral health is directly linked to overall body health, but is completely overlooked when discussing tobacco issues. Contact your dentist if you are a tobacco user to have an assessment taken about your oral health and hygiene conditions.
