Smoking, Chewing Tobacco & Your Teeth
Smoking, Chewing Tobacco & Your Teeth – For smokers, the risk of developing dental problems is real. This video on smoking, chewing tobacco & your teeth, spells it out for you.
Expert: Richard B. Smith, DDS Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, Specialized Dentistry of New York
Transcript
Think smoking’s sexy? Johnny Depp, clenching a Marlboro Red in his teeth? Or Lindsay Lohan with a Newport up against her lips? Well, think again.
When the smoke clears, those images are ANYTHING BUT hot. A cigarette smokers’ mouth is a HAVEN for plaque build-up, bone loss, oral cancer and leukoplakia — or white patches inside the mouth.You can easily see how tobacco smoke stains teeth yellow, but it’s what is NOT VISIBLE that’s SERIOUSLY wreaking havoc on a smoker’s teeth.
Research has shown cigarette smoke to speed up the bacteria production in plaque. And it’s plaque that causes the gums to inflame, often leading to a variety of periodontal problems. If left UNtreated, gum inflammation and plaque together can lead to deep “pocketing” around the teeth allowing for the harmful bacteria to feast on the plaque and cause bone loss and tooth decay under the gums – all of which can lead to gum recession, where the gums creep up the tooth leaving sensitive roots exposed, or worse, causing tooth loss.
Aside from tooth loss, some smokers also experience inflammation of the salivary gland openings on the roof of the mouth and in the cheeks. And there’s always the risk of cancerous tumors developing on the tongue, gums, cheek lining, lips, or roof or floor of the mouth, because of the high levels of carcinogens in cigarettes.
But what SO many people don’t realize is that it’s not just CIGARETTES that wreak havoc. Chewing and dipping tobaccos can cause the SAME oral problems as smoking, AND MORE. Tooth abrasion and decay are typically WORSE in people who chew and dip. The tobaccos contain sugars, grit, and sand that SCRATCH at the enamel and WEAR down the gums.
PLUS, that added sugar, when mixed with the mouth’s natural bacteria, causes an acidic reaction, which leads to tooth DECAY. This can be especially severe when it seeps beneath the gums and puddles near the tooth’s root.
But prevention is really quite simple. Just DON’T pick up that cigarette or wad of tobacco. Your mouth will thank you for it. If you want a healthy mouth and teeth – quit smoking and chewing tobacco TODAY.
For more ways to keep your teeth healthy, check out other videos in this series.
Last Modified: 2012-11-17
Category: Beauty, Health and Nutrition, Videos
