According to Web MD, Smoking and smokeless
tobacco products can cause serious damage to your teeth and gums. If you use
tobacco, and that includes the popular Hookah Pipe, your teeth will eventually
become discolored and you will have bad breath.
Smoking also causes
inflammation on the roof of your mouth where some of your salivary gland openings
are located, and tartar and plaque on your teeth and gums. If that isn’t reason
enough to kick the habit, smoking, and smokeless tobacco products can lead to
increased jawbone loss and an increased risk for oral cancer. Smoking and
smokeless tobacco products can also delay healing after dental treatments such
as tooth extraction, oral surgery, and periodontal treatment. Smokers and
people who use smokeless tobacco products have a lower success rate when it
comes to Dental Implants and have more chance of developing periodontal disease
than people who do not smoke.
Bad oral hygiene isn’t the only thing that
causes gingivitis and periodontal disease. According to recent studies and your dentist in Rancho Mirage, smoking
actually interferes with normal gum tissue cell function making smokers and
those who use smokeless tobacco products more susceptible to gum disease.
Smoking also impairs the flow of blood to your gums, which could affect your
ability to heal quickly.
Cigars and pipes lead to just as many oral health issues as cigarettes. In fact, cigar smokers suffer from jawbone loss just
as much as cigarette smokers do. Although pipe and cigar smokers do not inhale,
all are still at risk when it comes to throat and oral cancer as well as
stained teeth and bad breath.
Dr. Randall Szutz explains that smokeless tobacco isn’t any better. Chewing
tobacco and snuff contain more than 28 harmful chemicals that will increase
your risk of esophageal, throat and oral cancer. Have a single snuff, and you
are giving your body more nicotine than 60 cigarettes. Chewing tobacco also
irritates your gums making them pull away or recede leading to tooth loss. Once
your roots are exposed, you will become more sensitive to temperature changes
making eating uncomfortable. If that isn’t reason enough to throw out that can
of snuff.
The Journal of the American Dental Association discovered that people
who use smokeless tobacco products were more than four times more likely to
develop dental caries as snuff has added sugar in order to enhance its flavor.