If life were a game of ‘connect-the-dots’, then it could be said with confidence that there is a straight line between being a smoker and the need for Houston dental implants. You’ve read the warning signs on your carton of cigarettes, but do you take them seriously? Being a smoker or a user of tobacco in one form or another is a bitter sweet thing. It’s a habit that is immensely enjoyed by those who subscribe to it, but at the same time, it’s a hurdle that needs to be overcome if one is to live a longer and healthier life. Countless medical research has revealed tobacco-use to lead to a whole host of terrifying illnesses and conditions; one of which is terminal; death. But if that didn’t scare you enough, how about the fact that tobacco-use causes gum disease and tooth loss? If you are a smoker and didn’t know about Houston dental implants, then perhaps it’s time you became acquainted! Unless, of course, you had plans to quit….

Houston Dental Implants: How Smoking Causes Tooth Loss

Tobacco-use causes numerous things to happen to your body. The most immediately noticeably ones are probably what keeps you lighting up; a sense of calm, a distraction from stress, a feeling of sociable ‘belonging’, etc. But take a look under the microscope and the picture can be quite frightening. Smoking thickens the blood, which retards the flow of this life-giving circulation to the gums and teeth. Smoking also tends to cause ‘dry mouth’; an impediment to saliva production. Now, your saliva contains enzymes that not only help to break down the food you eat, but it also acts as a natural anti-bacterial agent. Without a healthy flow of blood to the soft and hard tissues in your mouth and adequate saliva production (the body’s natural protection against bacteria) the health of your gums and teeth can become compromised and more vulnerable to bacterial infection.