Smoking and Its Hazardous Effects on Dental Health By Patrick Casey on November 03, 2014

By now, no adult of reasonable intelligence should be shocked in the least to learn that smoking can have a profoundly negative impact on a person’s oral health. Nevertheless, many people still do not understand the many ways that smoking can affect the teeth, gums, and other sensitive tissues of the mouth. While modern reconstructive dentistry can help to reverse some of the damage inflicted by smoking, as long as a person continues to smoke, that damage will simply continue to occur. Eventually, it will worsen to the point that even the most advanced dental techniques and technologies will be minimally effective in restoring oral health.

At Smile Montreal, smoking and dental health are discussed in detail with patients who smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes during confidential consultations with Dr. Patrick Casey. Dr. Casey wants patients to feel as though they can come into his office for treatment without feeling judged or constantly criticized; however, he also wants them to feel respected as adults capable of hearing objective truths. And the objective truth about smoking is that it causes grave harm to the mouth over time. The only way for dentistry to effectively reverse this harm is for the patient to commit to a healthier lifestyle after treatment, including a plan to quit smoking altogether. Those patients who do decide to continue smoking will at least be knowledgeable of the consequences of their decision.

If you or someone you love is a smoker, we encourage you to read the following blog post and consider whether your habit is worth the effects it has on your oral health. Remember that there are plenty of people out there who can help you to quit smoking, and that we are here to help you achieve the healthiest, most radiant smile possible.

The Effects of Smoking on Oral Health

The effects of smoking on oral health are wide ranging. Some are obvious, while others may surprise you. The most common effects include:

Bad breath: Even if you don’t mind having your breath smell like tobacco smoke, you might be interested to know that smoking can cause chronic dry mouth, which is associated with halitosis, or general bad breath.
Discoloration of the teeth: Tobacco can cause the enamel of your teeth to become severely discolored. Fortunately, tobacco stains generally respond very well to professional teeth whitening treatments, which is excellent news if you plan to quit smoking. However, if you have your teeth professionally whitened and continue to smoke, you can bet that your teeth will lose their restored luster sooner rather than later.
Gum disease: Smoking promotes the accumulation of bacteria that leads to gum disease, which can further result in tooth loss, gum recession, and jaw bone degradation.
Impaired healing ability: If you have to undergo oral surgery, or any other type of surgery for that matter, your ability to heal will be significantly compromised by your smoking habit.
Oral cancer: The link between smoking and all types of cancer is by now well known. Oral cancer is particularly dangerous in that it exhibits few symptoms in its earliest stages, when it is most easily treated; however, by the time it produces clear symptoms, it is one of the most difficult forms of cancer to treat.