How Smoking Affects Teeth

Smoking can affect the health of the body in many ways including dental health. Not only will it cause staining on the teeth, but also can cause bad breath, increased plaque and tartar, bone loss, inflammation in the mouth and salivary glands, as well as increase the risk of cancer and gum disease leading to tooth loss. However, you can decrease the occurrences of all of these risk factors once smoking is stopped. Regular dental visits will also help reduce and treat what damage has been done.

Chemicals

Even when only smoking for a short time bad breath and teeth staining will occur. The nicotine will cause yellow or brown discoloration on the teeth and bad breath. These concerns may be slowed or covered slightly by brushing your teeth and using a mouthwash more often, but eventually will remain no matter what treatments are tried. You will also see an increased buildup on the teeth from the chemicals entering the mouth and not being rinsed or brushed afterwards. This causes plaque and tartar to build up faster on the teeth than they do in non-smokers, and these are not easily removed by regular brushing and flossing at home.

Risks

Gum disease when left untreated will often lead to tooth loss and possibly missing teeth. The healing process can also be interrupted when an implant is needed to replace a lost tooth. There is a higher rate of dental implants failing among smokers then non-smokers.

Oral Cancer

While it is widely believed that smoking causes lung cancer and other cancers, it also causes an increased risk of oral cancer. This is increased because the smoke travels directly through the mouth as it enters the body, and the teeth and gums are the first thing it comes in contact with. As the residue stays in the mouth for awhile and remains on the teeth and gums it affects the mouth for an extended time after each inhale - and each additional cigarette.

There are many risks involved with smoking and these are easily seen in the mouth and teeth - from bad breath to gum disease to an increased risk of cancer. Many of these effects can be decreased and even reversed if they are caught in time and smoking is discontinued.

Looking for a 100% all-natural liquid tooth oil and mouth rinse? Check out OraMD Original Strength and OraMD Extra Strength. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources check out the Trusted Health Resources list. 

Written By:

Kassandra Foreman has been writing freelance for five years now and enjoys learning about new things to write about. When not writing she teaches yoga and meditation with a focus on health and fitness.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash