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Cigarettes and Your Teeth

Posted on 2/20/2023 by Nancy Shiba DDS

Smoking damages your teeth. Your teeth probably aren't the first thing that you think about when taking into consideration the negative effects of smoking, but any tobacco use can cause some significant damage to your mouth. Tobacco use and smoking can be a challenging thing to stop. If you currently smoke, you have probably tried to quit before but was unsuccessful. Unfortunately, the longer that you smoke, the more damage to your teeth you will inflict. But there are ways to stop and reverse some of the damage.

How Tobacco Harms Your Teeth

Most people understand that smoking can give your pearly whites a yellow color. The amount of tobacco that you smoke plays a role in how discolored your teeth get. Most people only think of gum issues and oral cancer when in relation to the dangers of tobacco use to your mouth. Large cavities that are around the gums can result in infections and weak and brittle teeth. This can cause tooth breakage long term and they will end up needing repair which can be painful and costly for the individual experiencing such things.

Smoking can cause periodontal disease as well. Periodontal disease is simply referred to as gum disease and it's a bacterial infection in the mouth. This type of infection can impact the gums. Gums can become sore and red and start receding from the teeth. Early stages of periodontal disease can be reversed if you see a dentist that can treat the long-term tobacco use and smoking effects on your teeth. If periodontal disease goes untreated, the infection can spread even deeper to the bone and tissue. Bone damage can be the result and in the worst cases, surgical intervention is required to treat the damaged bone. In these cases, restorative surgery and bone grafts are often needed. Once periodontal disease has a hold on your mouth, tooth loss can occur. Because the gums get weaker, they can hold onto the teeth as strong.

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Nancy Shiba, DDS

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