Smoking can cause serious harm to oral and dental health. Here are some ways smoking can affect your oral health:
1. Staining of teeth: Cigarette smoke contains many substances, such as nicotine and tar, which can stain teeth yellow or brown. This can affect the appearance of your smile and your self-esteem.
2. Gingivitis: Smoking increases the risk of gingivitis (gingivitis) and more serious gum diseases such as periodontitis. Cigarette smoke reduces blood flow to the gums, which makes healing more difficult and weakens the immune system's ability to fight infection. This can lead to reddened, swollen, bleeding gums and eventually tooth loss.
3. Poor wound healing: Smoking slows down the healing process of the oral mucosa, so wounds such as post-surgery wounds or ulcers may take longer to heal.
4. Oral mucosal diseases: Smoking can increase the risk of oral mucosal diseases such as oral cancer, leukoplakia (white plaques or ulcers on the oral mucosa) and mucositis (inflammation of the oral mucosa).
5. Bad breath: Smoking causes bad breath (halitosis) and leaves a strong odor in the mouth.
6. Impaired sense of taste and smell: Smoking can reduce the sense of taste and smell, which can affect eating habits and enjoyment of food.
It is important to note that the harms associated with smoking are not only limited to the mouth, but smoking can also affect your overall health and increase the risk of many serious diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and lung disease.
The best way to protect your oral health is to stop smoking altogether. Quitting smoking helps to improve oral health, reduce the risk of disease and improve general well-being. If you need help in quitting smoking, you can turn to health professionals.