It can’t be said enough. No tobacco use is good for your mouth. At the very least tar and nicotine stain your teeth, making some unsightly colors on your enamel. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there.
Vaping:
A misconception is that vaping isn’t as bad as smoking. When it comes to your mouth, however, it can leave just as much of an impact. Vaping can cause dry mouth, excess bacteria in your mouth, gum inflammation, and throat irritation. The aerosols in e-cigs can also cause cell death which leads to tooth decay, bad breath, periodontal disease, and tooth and bone loss.
Chewing tobacco:
All of the above can be said for chewing tobacco and the other forms of tobacco as well. Putting that pinch between your cheek and gums can cause horrible staining, bad taste, and excess drooling.
To make matters worse, chewing tobacco also has an increased risk of cancer in the mouth. Tongue, cheek, gums, throat, esophageal, pancreatic, and stomach cancer all have an increased risk when there is the use of chewing tobacco.
Chewing tobacco will make your teeth more sensitive and can cause gum loss, and tooth decay.
Pipes and cigars:
No, they are not safer for your mouth. Pipes and cigars have the same effects as any tobacco on your teeth and gums. You run the same risks with tooth decay and gum disease. When it comes to cancers, cigars actually put 100’s times more nicotine into your system than a single cigarette. One cigar can be more than an entire pack. They are as addictive as cigarettes and most long-term pipe and cigar smokers suffer from tooth loss.
Cigarettes: Fillings and teeth become stained. Your ability to smell and taste is reduced. Bad breath, even if you smoke menthols is a problem. Smokers’ palate which produces small white spots in the glands of your mouth, or Smokers melanosis which is brown spots seen with both cigarette and pipe smokers. Coated tongue where there is a layer of what amounts to compost building up on your tongue. Oral thrush is a fungal infection. Gum disease, tooth decay, and the inability to have dental implants are all issues.
No matter what form tobacco is used in, all run the risk of oral cancer. There are carcinogens in the paper and chemicals in the tobacco.
The bottom line is if you want to have your teeth healthy and keep your mouth happy, you’ve been warned. Tobacco can cause problems. Period.
Give us a call today at (203) 248-0011 today for your next appointment.