Preventative Dental Care: Stopping Smoking

Preventative dental care is important to maintaining good oral health. It would be best to make it a point to schedule your routine dental checkups twice a year. Another way to help your teeth and gums stay healthy is to brush your teeth twice a day, floss, and use mouthwash.

If you are a smoker, the most beneficial thing you can do to prevent gum disease is stop smoking. It affects not only your oral health but also your overall health.

Smoking is one of the leading causes of severe gum disease in the United States. Tobacco use causes several major health issues. If you stop smoking, you significantly reduce your risk of all the health issues caused by tobacco.

What is gum disease?

Smoking causes gum disease. Gum disease is an infection of the gums. Anytime bacteria gets under the gums and remains there, plaque and tartar begin to form. If plaque and tartar are not removed, it can cause gum disease.

This disease can affect the bone structure that supports your teeth. Your teeth can become loose as the gum tissue pulls away from the tooth. This will cause loose teeth and, if not treated, can lead to losing the affected teeth.

Gum disease in its early stages is referred to as gingivitis. This is one of the main reasons preventative dental care is so important. Your dentist can diagnose gingivitis early on and treat it before it leads to more serious oral health issues.

Symptoms of gum disease

It is important to talk to your dentist about gum disease. Make your dentist aware of any symptoms you have of the disease. The symptoms can be mild or more severe depending on what stage of gum disease you are in.

• Do your gums look red or swollen? They may hurt when you touch them with your toothbrush or while eating.
• Do you see blood in the sink after brushing your teeth? This is a common sign of gum disease.
• Do you experience pain or discomfort while chewing your food?
• Are your teeth overly sensitive to hot or cold foods/drinks?
• Do you have loose teeth or notice your gums pulling away from the root of any teeth?

If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them right away with your dentist. Don’t ever ignore what your mouth is trying to tell you. When in doubt, ask questions and do your part to aid in keeping your oral health.

Smoking can cause all the symptoms of gum disease and many other issues associated with the health of your teeth and gums.

If you do not stop smoking, you are opening yourself up to long-term gum problems, decaying your teeth, tooth loss, and even mouth cancer.