Negative effects of smoking on your teeth

Are you a smoker? If yes, then this article is important for you. Smoking damages your oral health in a number of ways. To combat this, you should brush and floss your teeth every day. Moreover, you should also visit a private dentist Basingstoke for a deep inspection of your teeth. Visiting a dentist will improve your oral health and result in healthy gums and strong teeth. A dentist will give you plenty of treatment options. When the oral problems are diagnosed in the starting stage, it just takes a minimal treatment to fix them.

How smoking negatively affects your oral health:

Bad Breath: Smoking leads to bad breath as it contains nicotine that leaves chemical compounds inside your mouth that are further mixed with your saliva. This chemical also sticks to the surface of your teeth and gums. Moreover, smoking also causes dry mouth and reduces the production of saliva. You need saliva to fight unpleasant-smelling bacteria that cause bad breath. Furthermore, when you smoke you inhale the smoke into your lungs, the same smoke is exhaled by you which also causes bad breath.

Oral Cancer: People who smoke are at higher risk of developing oral cancer. According to studies, it is being said smokers are at a six times higher risk of developing cancer than non-smokers. Oral cancer is a life-threatening disease, but if diagnosed at an earlier stage, it can be treated easily. There can be canker sores on your cheeks, neck, throat, lips, and gums. When you smoke, over time toxic chemicals in cigarettes turn healthy cells into cancerous cells.

Gum Diseases: Smoking lead to serious gum infections such as Gingivitis and Periodontitis. People who smoke are at higher risk of developing bacterial plaque. This plaque can be turned into the hardened form known as tartar which can lead to gum infection. Moreover, if you already have infected gums then smoking will make this infection severe. As it causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream thus obstructing the healing of infected gums.

Last but not least, smoking also causes tooth discoloration. It turns the color of your teeth from white to yellow.