We all are aware of what smoking does to our health, and by now we’ve heard and read so many articles and videos of how smoking cigarettes damages our lungs. But the one thing that we don’t know much about is the negative impact of smoking on our dental health. Most of the cigarette packs come with a picture on top with a cancerous mouth because at the end of the day all the problems begin from the mouth. Still, people chose to ignore this issue, and they continue buying and smoking cigarettes.
It’s high time for us to start spreading awareness among people and tell them how they are destroying their dental health with cigarettes and even with the e-cigarettes. Yes, you read it right, right now there is a lot of hype about e-cigarettes also known as vaping and they are considered to be a healthier alternative to smoking, but the reality is that both the vapes and the cigarettes come with equally dangerous effects when it comes to the dental health.
HOW SMOKING AFFECTS YOUR ORAL HEALTH
Nicotine and tar are two of the most dangerous ingredients in a cigarette, and we all are well aware of how these ingredients destroy our lungs but what if we tell you that even before lungs, the first thing that suffers from all the damage are your teeth? You see, when you inhale the smoke of a cigarette, all the dangerous chemicals especially nicotine and tar etc. first touch your teeth and then they go towards your lungs which technically means that your teeth are the ones to suffer first.
Yellow stains start appearing on your teeth and well, with the passage of time, it becomes hard to get rid of those stains. The next worst thing these chemicals do is that they start attacking the enamel of your teeth which is the protective layer keeping your teeth all strong and away from all the bacteria. Now, with the weakening of the enamel, your teeth become more and more susceptible to the bacteria which then leads to the tooth root. Also, in the worst case scenario, the build-up of all the bacteria leads to gum diseases, and if you ever had one, you’ll know that gum diseases can be pretty painful.
Another important thing to know about tobacco smoke is that it comes with 7000 chemicals and all of these chemicals are known to cause cancer which means when you start smoking cigarettes; you get prone to oral cancer.
HOW VAPING AFFECTS YOUR ORAL HEALTH
Vaping is considered to be a healthy alternative to cigarettes, and well, it’s somewhat true because technically you are inhaling vapours that are produced by the e-cigarettes but still, research is going on, and scientists yet aren’t sure whether vaping is completely healthy or not. Now, we all know the fact that e-cigarettes don’t cause yellow stains on our teeth, they don’t result in a bad breath, and they even don’t cause plaque to build up just like the cigarettes. Yet, if you are buying the e-liquid that has some concentration of nicotine in it then even vaping isn’t healthy for you, and it can destroy your oral health.
You see, nicotine, in any case, will slow down the flow of blood in your body and this ultimately impacts the ability of your mouth to fight off the bacteria. You might have heard about the periodontal disease which basically is severe gum infection, and vaping can actually result in one too.
Not only this, in fact, the vapour of the e-cigarette can release some inflammatory proteins inside the tissues of your gums, and that can lead to more critical oral diseases. Research has shown that e-cigarettes come with the same and sometimes even more damages than a tobacco cigarette so calling it healthy won’t be the right thing to do.
SMOKING AND ITS IMPACT ON WOUND HEALING
Smokers are usually the ones who suffer through cardiovascular diseases as compared to the non-smokers. In fact, studies show that there are 73% chances for smokers to have a stroke and 57% chances for them to experience a cardiac arrest. And all of this is due to the inflammation caused by smoking cigarettes.
Now, it is but very obvious that after a cardiac arrest or a stroke, people opt for heart surgeries. Other than the complications during surgery, smokers take a long time to heal the wound too. Want to know how? Well, smoking results in the reduction of oxygen in the body and less oxygen mean that your body will take more time to heal the wounds and close them.
The Overall Verdict:
The end result of this discussion is that neither vaping nor smoking cigarettes is healthy for you, and the sooner you quit these habits, the better it will be for you. Your lungs, your heart, your mouth and even your teeth fall victim to dangerous diseases and infections that are doing nothing but reducing your life constantly. Even if you are an addict and a chain smoker, know that it’s never too late to quit and whether you are 20 or 70 years old, just try once and quit cigarettes and don’t even opt for vaping because no matter what people say, consuming smoke, in any case, is unhealthy. Also, you should pay a visit to your dentist at least once every month because just like the rest of your body, it’s important to keep track of your oral hygiene too. So, don’t wait anymore and schedule an appointment with your dentist right now to make sure that your dental health is on the right track.
