We often hear about how dangerous smoking can be for your general health, but I thought it would be a good idea to highlight the effects of tobacco specifically on your oral health, as the effects can be life-altering.
Bacterial infection
Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums, leaving them at a high risk of bacterial infection.
Tooth loss
Smokers can expect to lose 2 teeth every 10 years. Let’s say you start smoking a pack a day at age 18… by age 35, you’ll already be missing 4 teeth.
Higher risk of oral cancer
Smokers are four times more likely than non-smokers to develop oral cancer which can be dangerous, disfiguring and even deadly. The death rate from oral cancers (including cancers of the tongue, mouth and pharynx) exceeds the death rate from cervical cancer.
Tobacco use in combination with alcohol accelerates the risk of oral cancer. People who smoke, chew or dip, and drink are between 15 and 38 times more likely to suffer from oral cancer than those who neither smoke nor drink.
General dental problems and complications
Tobacco users also commonly experience:
- increased levels of dental plaque
- more cavities
- shifting teeth
- mouth sores
- increased loss of bone within the jaw
- gum disease
- lower success rates for dental implants
- slower healing after mouth injuries or dental procedures
Bad breath and yellow teeth
Despite valiant efforts to conceal bad breath with the use of mouthwash, frequent tooth brushing and gum chewing, smokers have difficulty covering up the fact that they smoke. Not only will their bad breath give them away, but yellow teeth are another telltale sign. I will not administer bleaching products to my patients who are active smokers. The ongoing smoking will not only defeat the effects of the whitening, but some studies suggest that the peroxide in tooth bleaching products may put smokers at an even higher risk for oral cancer.
Are cigars and pipes safer than cigarettes?
No. According to results of a 23-year long study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, cigar smokers experience tooth loss and alveolar bone loss (bone loss within the jawbone that anchors teeth) at rates equivalent to those of cigarette smokers. Pipe smokers also have a similar risk of tooth loss as cigarette smokers. Beyond these risks, pipe and cigar smokers are still at risk for oral and pharyngeal (throat) cancers –even if they don’t inhale – as well as facing the other oral health downsides of smoking – bad breath, stained teeth, and increased risk of gum disease.
Are smokeless tobacco products safer?
No. Like cigars and cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products (for example, snuff and chewing tobacco) contain at least 28 chemicals that have been shown to increase the risk of oral cancer and cancer of the throat and esophagus. In fact, chewing tobacco contains higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes, making it harder to quit than cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco can irritate gum tissue, causing it to recede or pull away from your teeth. Once the gum tissue recedes, your teeth roots become exposed, creating an increased risk of tooth decay. Exposed roots are also more sensitive to hot and cold or other irritants, making eating and drinking uncomfortable. Smokeless tobacco also typically contains sand and grit, which can wear down your teeth.
In addition, sugars, which are often added to enhance the flavor of smokeless tobacco, can increase your risk for tooth decay. A study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association showed that chewing tobacco users were four times more likely than nonusers to develop tooth decay.
The message here is clear. Smoking and smokeless tobacco products are not only bad for your general wellbeing, they are very harmful to your oral health as well. No one says it is easy to quit. It is, however, absolutely necessary. Talk with your doctor about strategies and products that can help you. You – and your smile – will be better for it!
Steven Deskin is a Brantford Dentist in general practice.
