Did you know that around 6 million adults in the UK are smokers? Moreover, over 5.1 million British adults use e-cigarettes for smoking. While smoking is known to affect one’s physical health, it has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on one’s oral health. So, if you’re worried that your dentist can tell if you smoke, yes, they can!
But how can my dentist tell if I smoke? You may ask! You will find the answer to this question in this blog. So, read this blog till the end to learn more about smoking and its effect on your oral health.
Can Smoking Affect My Mouth And Oral Health?
According to the Oral Health Foundation, smoking can directly affect one’s oral health. For example, persistent smoking can lead to various oral health-related complications such as teeth staining, bad breath gum disease, dry mouth, and even tooth loss. More importantly, studies have shown that smokers are at a higher risk of developing oral cancer than those who don’t smoke.
Can A Dentist Tell If You Smoke Occasionally?
Smoking-related complications, such as teeth staining or gum disease, may not be visible in your mouth if you smoke occasionally. However, if you are a frequent smoker, there will be signs in your mouth from which your dentist can tell that you’re a habitual smoker. Two of the most oral health-related signs that can tell if you smoke are bad breath and yellow or brown staining of the teeth caused by tobacco.
Why Do Dentists Ask If You Smoke?
When you visit your dentist, they may ask if you are a smoker. This is because smokers are at higher risk of developing various dental complications like gum disease, dry mouth, or tooth loss than non-smokers. Furthermore, there is a higher risk of oral cancers among smokers. Therefore, dentists take additional care while examining the oral cavity of smokers to detect any underlying complications.
What Can A Dentist Tell From Your Mouth?
Your dentist can tell a lot of things about your oral health, physical well-being, and habits just by looking at your teeth. For example, they can tell if you brush or floss your teeth regularly by the absence of gum swelling, teeth stains or plaque deposits on your teeth. Similarly, dentists can also detect various medical conditions by examining your teeth. In fact, dentists often detect developing medical issues during routine dental examinations.
Can I Vape With Braces?
It is not recommended to vape with braces. This is because vaping can affect your gum health which directly influences the movement and realignment of your teeth. Hence, vaping may cause oral health complications that may slow down your treatment progress.
How Can We Vape Without Getting A Dry Socket?
Dentists do not advise using a vape after getting a tooth extracted. This is because vaping can cause a condition called dry socket. In this condition, a good-quality blood clot fails to form inside the extracted tooth socket, thereby delaying healing.
But what is the link between vaping and dry sockets? According to Healthline, nicotine in vape formulas restricts blood flow to the extraction socket, increasing the risk of a dry socket. Besides, there are various toxins in vaping formulas that significantly increase your risk of this complication. So, it is not recommended to use a vape after having one’s tooth extracted.
Why Does Vaping Cause Bad/Sour Breath?
Some ingredients of vape formulas, such as propylene glycol, can cause a condition called dry mouth. In this condition, there is a reduced flow or production of the saliva resulting in incomplete cleaning of the oral cavity. As a result, plaque and tartar deposits form on the teeth which can lead to bad breath and other complications such as gum disease.
How Can Dry Mouth Affect Your Oral Health?
One of the functions of saliva is to bathe our teeth and clean them. Frequent vaping or smoking restricts the production or flow of saliva, resulting in plaque and tartar buildup on the teeth. These deposits can cause various complications such as gum disease, bad breath, and even tooth loss.
Can A Heavy Smoker Do A Dental Implant?
Heavy smokers have a higher risk of developing gum disease than non-smokers. In the advanced stages of gum disease, there is extensive bone loss in the jaws. Since the success of implant therapy is directly dependent on the quality and volume of the available jawbone, smokers tend to have a higher risk of implant failures than non-smokers.
If smokers need a tooth implant, they should cut down on their habit and ensure optimal oral hygiene for some time to allow for the healing of the damaged tissues. Once optimal healing has taken place, their dentist will proceed with the implant placement procedure. However, smoking should be avoided even after implant placement as it can hamper the healing process.
Why Doesn’t Smoking Affect Celebrities’ Teeth?
Vaping can cause inflammation of the gums and teeth staining, even in celebrities. However, these signs are not visible in celebrities because they mask these defects with cosmetic dental treatment. But one thing that should be kept in mind is that this type of cosmetic dental treatment is not the solution. It will only mask the issue. In fact, cosmetic dental treatment should not be done when someone is suffering from gum disease. So, the best solution is to restrict the habit of smoking or vaping.
If you are concerned about your oral health due to smoking and are looking for the best dentist in Essex, your best option is to visit Harrow Dental Practice and Dental Implant Centre. We offer the highest-quality services to our esteemed patients. Whether you have teeth stains or bad breath due to smoking, our experienced dentists will take care of it. So, click here to make an enquiry and let us take care of the rest.
