Whether you are a tobacco user or know one, this day is the day selected by the World Health Organisation to recognise the harmful impact that tobacco consumption can have on your life, the lives of your loved ones and acquaintances, and from the perspective of Thornton Dental: On your oral health!
It is, of course, a good to remember that the use of any tobacco product can lead to severe problems for your mouth and smile.
So, if you’re one of those people who may have made a New Year’s resolution to quit tobacco use and fallen off the wagon, you’re a tobacco user who just wants to quit, or you know and love a tobacco user, let’s take a look at some oral-health-related reasons to quit on this year’s World No Tobacco Day.
Stains and discolouration. Tobacco has two effects. One is direct staining from the tobacco products, and the other is reduced ability to remove staining items from the mouth.
Bad breath, or Smoker’s breath. Once again, there are two effects. The first is the ashtray smell caused by the smoke itself.
The second is systemic damage done to gums and teeth by the chemicals and toxins in tobacco.
Teeth wear down faster. Chewing tobacco, cigars snuff and unprocessed tobacco leaves (used as cigar wrappers) contain tiny particles from the soil they were grown in.
When this grit is chewed and mixed with saliva, an abrasive paste results that erodes teeth over time.
Fewer dental treatments are available. Smoking reduces blood flow; at the same time, it increases inflammation and bacteria production.
This can make it difficult or impossible to replace lost teeth.
Implants and bridges may no longer be repair options, as supporting jawbone and surrounding teeth may have been so weakened that they aren’t strong enough to support these restorations.
Gum disease is harder to treat. Smoking slows your immune system, so if you are a smoker, it can be challenging to fight the problems related to gum disease.
Smoking also stunts the growth of blood vessels, retarding the healing of gum tissue after injury or oral surgery.
Higher risk for other dental problems. Smokers are twice as likely to develop gum disease as non-smokers.
Oral cancers. This is a big one. Tobacco users are six times more likely to get oral cancers, and 80 per cent of those who have oral cancer have used tobacco products.
The good news is that as soon as you quit, your risk of cancer begins to drop back towards that of non-smokers, meeting it somewhere between ten and twenty years later.
Smokeless tobacco (also known as snuff or chew) contributes to causing cancer of the lip, mouth, and tongue.
This is because smokeless tobacco products, similar to cigarettes, contain cancer-causing chemicals. In this case, nearly 30 of them have been identified.
A few of the other known health dangers include:
Stop using tobacco. This is obvious and most important.
The moment you stop using tobacco products, your chances of developing traumatic issues from tobacco usage begin to increase.
For some problems (reduced ability to smell), the healing can be apparent in as soon as 48 hours!
Thornton Dental will carry out a regular examination to make sure that your teeth, gums and entire mouth are healthy, with strong teeth as well.
We make dentistry affordable without sacrificing the quality of care.
Thornton dentist also serves local communities in Beresfield, Tarro, Woodberry, East Maitland, Chisholm, Green Hills, Metford, Ashtonfield, Tenambit, Morpeth, Lorn and Raworth.
Call us on (02) 4966 2996 or see us online. We are located at 9/1 Taylor Ave in Thornton.