Stoptober – the Effects of Smoking on Your Oral Health

Stoptober and all the support that it offers is the ideal time to quit the smoking habit.  Quitting smoking has so many benefits for your health and wellbeing as well as your pocket.

Stoptober : Time to Quit Smoking !

Six ways in which smoking affects your oral health

1. Smoking can cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, lips, gums and throat.  In the UK over 6,700 people are diagnosed each year with oral cancer and this is set to rise by a third in the next ten years.  In the majority of cases the cancer is not discovered until it is advanced.
   Look out for ulcers that don’t heal after three weeks, unusual lumps and red or white patches in your mouth.  If you have any concerns at all, get in touch with your dentist.
2. Gum disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.  Smokers have lower levels of oxygen in their bloodstream which means that the healing process is slowed down and gum disease can progress more quickly unnoticed.
3. Smokers are at a higher risk of tooth decay due to the presence of more plaque and smoking related gum problems.
4. Smoking causes bad breath.  Over 4,000 chemicals pass through the mouth when smoking, some will collect on the inside of the mouth and that coupled with the drying effect that smoking has on your mouth and associated gum disease results in smelly and unpleasant breath.
5. Tar and nicotine will leave yellow stains on teeth.  Permanent staining can occur when these chemicals seep into very fine cracks in the tooth enamel.  Years of smoking will result in dark brown staining to the teeth.
6. Taste and smell are altered by smoking and this can lead to a need to add more salt or sugar to food to make it taste more flavoursome.  Too much salt and sugar is bad for your overall health and your oral health.

Stoptober : Time to Quit Smoking !

The clear way to avoid all of these problems is to quit smoking ; don’t postpone this until next no smoking day…
At Smile Concepts we would encourage you to check out the Stoptober website which is full of useful information and sources of support to help you kick the habit.

If you have any concerns about your oral health then please get in touch with our reception team on 0121 705 2705 and book an appointment.