This 8-part series provides an in-depth look at seven different habits, addictions and behaviors that are deadly to your oral health.

Welcome back to our 8-part article series on the different habits, behaviors and addictions that are deadly to your good oral health. In our previous installment, Part 2, we began our journey through the different sins that could end you up in the Rutherford dental implants specialist’s chair requiring new teeth. Deadly dental sin # 1 is poor oral hygiene and neglecting to brush and floss your teeth regularly and thoroughly. In this article, we’ll be focusing on deadly dental sin # 2: tobacco-use.

The Dangers of Smoking and Tobacco-Use

Smoking is terrible for your health. Virtually every body knows this. But why smoking is bad for your oral health is quite an interesting story to tell and understanding the various mechanisms behind this deadly dental sin may just provide smokers with the encouragement (or shock and horror) they need to quit. So, why is smoking bad for your oral health?

1. Smoking Irritates the Soft Oral Tissues

The chemicals in tobacco smoke, as well as the sheer heat of the smoke itself irritates and inflames the delicate soft tissues in the mouth – the inner cheeks, gums, tongue and soft palate. It also inflames the salivary glands.

2. Smoking Causes “Dry Mouth”

Tobacco-use retards the natural production of saliva in the mouth, which leads to a greater production of plaque and tartar. Saliva is your body’s natural defense against oral bacteria. It not only helps to flush out food debris, it also contains natural anti-bacterial properties. Therefore, when there is a chronic shortage of saliva, the mouth is far more likely to succumb to infection and periodontal (gum) disease, caused by excessive bacterial activity.

3. Smoking Interferes with Normal Cell Function

Smoking actually interferes with the normal functioning of gum tissue cells, rendering smokers more susceptible to infection, gum disease and potentially fatal cancer.

4. Smoking Slows the Rate of Healing

Tobacco-use thickens the blood, slowing the rate of healing in the mouth. This means that a smoker who has accidentally, for example, cut their gum, is at a higher risk of infection than a non-smoker. The same applies to post-operative healing. Smoking can reduce the success rate of surgical procedures, such as dental implant placement, and prolongs healing. Norwalk dental implants specialists generally recommend that patients cease smoking a few weeks prior to surgery.

There’s No Way around It…

Tobacco-use is just plain terrible for your general and oral health. Whether you smoke it, chew it or snort it and whether you smoke cigarettes, light cigarettes, infinite light cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, cheroots or any other imaginable tobacco product… it’s bad for you and it causes:

• Chronic bad breath
• Tooth discoloration and staining
• Inflammation of the gums and oral soft tissues
• Inflammation of the salivary glands
• “Dry mouth”
• A greater risk of oral infection
• The faster build-up of plaque and tartar
• Periodontal (gum) disease
• A lower chance of surgical success, especially with implant placement
• Oral cancer

Stay Tuned for Part 4

Stay tuned for the fourth installment of this 8-part article series in which Rutherford dental implants specialists discuss the number three transgression against good oral health: avoiding the dentist.