How Smoking Can Affect Your Teeth and Gums

Although many people are now aware smoking is bad for our health, most don’t realise the damage smoking can cause to our teeth, gums and mouth.

Smoking can lead to tooth loss, gum disease, tooth staining and even mouth cancer.

Smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream which means infected gums don’t heal. The blood circulation in the mouth decreases making it harder for our body to fight potential infections. Severe gum disease is called Periodontitis. This is more likely to occur in smokers who produce bacterial plaque, due to the combination of chemicals in tobacco, which can lead to gum disease.

Smoking can cause redness and tenderness in gums, blood when brushing and flossing, pain when chewing, puss oozing between teeth, receding gum line and loosening of teeth.

Our saliva flow can decrease also and this is the body’s natural wash and antibacterial break down against plaque build up (bacteria) and dry mouth. These symptoms can also lead to damaged enamel and loss of teeth.

The nicotine and tar in tobacco can lead to teeth staining yellow in colour and for heavy smokers, over time, can be nearly brown in colour. It may also give you bad breath.

Not only can smoking lead to throat and lung cancer it can also raise the risk of mouth cancer.

To find out more information, please call us on (03) 9048 1026.

Author Summary – Dr Chitra Rao

Dr. Chitra Rao has over a decade of experience in dentistry, specifically in the field of cosmetic and orthodontic treatments. Dedicated to achieving optimal results, she takes a detailed and personalised approach to creating beautiful, confident smiles for her patients. Outside of dentistry, Dr. Chitra enjoys staying active, traveling, and spending time with her family.