It is a well-known fact that smoking has a significant impact on your overall health. There are still many smoking-related illnesses and deaths every year. Smoking and other tobacco products are one of the main risk factors responsible for an increasing number of dental diseases. Smoking is a habit that damages your overall health along with the tissues of your oral cavity. If you want a healthy and beautiful smile, you should stay away from smoking.
What are the effects of smoking on your teeth?
For your teeth to remain healthy, they must be surrounded by adequate gum tissue. Smoking irritates the soft tissues of your oral cavity and causes inflammation of the gums, encouraging bacterial growth, which can lead to tooth decay and gum problems.
Smoke consists of various toxins and microparticles of tobacco tar. When you smoke, these microparticles darken the entire enamel. Tobacco tar is difficult to remove from your teeth and can also cause bad breath.
Some other negative effects of smoking on your oral and dental health include
-Loss of smell and taste
-Weakened immune system
-Teeth loss
-Tooth decay
- Mouth ulcers and mouth sores
- Gum disease
- Mouth cancers
Care recommendations to reduce the effects of smoking on oral and dental health
-Brush your teeth twice a day to clean your teeth, tongue and gums.
-Floss after eating.
-Never let your mouth dry out. This leads to the formation of microcracks and cavities. Drink at least 2 litres of water.
-Visit the dentist regularly. This helps to detect diseases earlier.
-Most importantly, quit smoking.
-If you cannot quit smoking completely, try reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke.
-Create distractions. When the urge to smoke comes, try to focus on something else.
-Get support from help centres to quit smoking.
Do not neglect regular visits to the dentist for early detection and treatment of tooth loss, gum disease, caries and other problems caused by smoking.