If you want to protect your oral health, the best thing you can do is never start smoking. And if you’ve already started, the best thing you can do is to quit. 

While you might be able to keep on top of your oral health with regular checkups, there is no way for your dentist to be able to protect you from the risks associated with smoking.

In this guide, we’re stating the facts about smoking and how it impacts your oral health. We’re also offering our advice on how to kick the habit if you’re ready to prioritise your oral health. 

By the end of this guide, you should be much more clued up on how smoking will damage your oral health. With this information, we hope that you’ll take the difficult decision to quit for your health.

How does smoking impact oral health?

When thinking about the health effects of smoking, it is normally lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis that come to mind. However, smoking can affect all areas of your body, including your oral health. 

Your risk of developing these diseases depends on how long you have been smoking and the number of cigarettes you smoke a day. In this blog, we look at the possible oral health conditions associated with smoking.

Common oral health conditions associated with smoking

While some people might get lucky and never have an illness related to smoking, it’s a simple fact that choosing to smoke will vastly increase your odds of developing a wide range of health conditions. This could include:

Oral/​Mouth Cancer

Many people know that smoking can cause lung and throat cancer but it is also one of the leading causes of mouth cancer too. There are around 8,500 people diagnosed with mouth cancer each year and the numbers are increasing.

Smoking plays a significant role in many cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. Whenever you inhale from a cigarette, the harmful chemicals present in the tobacco smoke first pass through your mouth and down your throat to reach your lungs. 

Over time these chemicals can cause changes in the tissues in your mouth, which can lead to oral cancer. Oral cancer is a preventable disease, by avoiding smoking and seeing a dentist regularly for routine appointments, you can help to keep oral cancer out of your future.

It’s important to remember that oral cancer can occur in patients who have never smoked a single cigarette in their life. Smoking simply increases the risk. Since oral cancer is treatable when it is caught early, regular visits to the dentist can help you to manage this risk.

Tooth Loss

Smokers are more likely to suffer from tooth loss as gum disease progresses. If you do lose a tooth there is a risk that you will suffer from a dry socket, where the nerve and bone are exposed, causing extreme pain. It is also not possible to place dental implants to replace missing teeth as the bone will not grow to secure the implants in place.

Bad Breath and Stained Teeth

The nicotine present in cigarettes will stain your teeth. You will be able to notice the yellowing of your teeth within a number of weeks and over time your teeth may become brown. 

The best way to remove this staining is to attend regular appointments with the hygienist. Smoking also causes a very distinct form of halitosis, the only way to prevent this is to stop smoking.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is an inflammation of the gums. When left untreated, it can lead to pockets forming around teeth and bone loss. In the long term, this can lead to tooth loss.

Smokers are twice as likely to have gum disease than non-smokers, no matter how good their oral hygiene is. Smoking reduces the blood flow to your mouth and gums meaning you will most likely miss the most common warning sign of gum disease; bleeding gums. 

It also inhibits saliva production, leading to dry mouth. This is another risk factor for developing gum disease, as it can lead to bacteria build up in your mouth since you don’t have enough saliva to neutralise and remove it. 

Finally, smoking also slows down healing. When it is more difficult for the gums to heal, any treatment is likely to be less effective. 

Is vaping as bad as smoking?

Vaping is often recommended as a better alternative to smoking, but this is not without its own risks. Vaping is certainly better in the sense that you will be exposed to far fewer chemicals. Many patients will use vaping as a method to help them to cut down and eventually quit smoking.

However, vaping can be just as bad for your oral health in many ways. It can also lead to dry mouth, which will increase your risk of gum disease while also making it more difficult for wounds in your mouth to heal.

Vaping can also contribute to dental staining, so you might have to visit the dental hygienist to tackle any build up on your teeth.

If you are using vaping as a method to help you cut down and quit smoking, then this is a great move for your wider health and your oral health. Simply replacing smoking with vaping, or starting vaping without ever having been a smoker, will come with some negative oral health implications in the long term.

How does visiting the dentist help?

The nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive and this means that quitting is no easy feat. Most people will need support from family and friends. Your dentist will also be able to provide you with help and advice to make this the time you quit for good.

At each check-up your dentist will perform a full mouth examination looking at the inside of your mouth and tongue, with early diagnosis and treatment the survival rates for mouth cancer are good.

We find that patients who invest in their smiles will find extra motivation to quit in the long term. Something as simple as whitening your teeth can help you to finally kick the habit. You’ll be less tempted to smoke, as this will lead to the stains coming back. 

Dental implants are also a popular motivation, as this is a significant investment, and smoking after treatment could lead to implant failure. 

Still not convinced?

Not only will you experience the health benefits of stopping smoking, but with the average person smoking 364 cigarettes a month, you could save £230, that’s £2760 over the course of a year! 

For more information on stopping smoking please speak to the dentist on your next visit or go to the NHS website. Help is available at every step of the way, and your dentist can also be a part of your support team!