If you are a smoker, you will have heard the arguments in favour of giving up so many times that the strongest of anti-smoking messages probably makes no impact on you at all.
Most of the warnings focus on hidden parts of the body such as the lungs and heart and even though they are designed to scare you into giving up, the notion that “it will never happen to me” means you are likely to continue lighting up.
But there is one area where smoking can have a far more visible effect, and more quickly – your smile. The fact is that if you smoke, your teeth will become stained very quickly, turning yellow and then brown. In addition you will be much more prone to gum disease – the primary cause of tooth loss among adults – you are also more likely to suffer from facial wrinkling.
One of the most noticeable effects of smoking is staining of the teeth from nicotine and tar but the huge problem for smokers is gum disease with twice as many smokers being toothless by the age of 65 as non-smokers. This is due to the fact that smoking causes lack of oxygen in the bloodstream so when you gums get infected it does not heal.
If gum disease is left untreated, it will progress and in time your gums will pull away from your teeth, your teeth will loosen and eventually they will fall out.
This is why it is vital for smokers to visit our practice regularly for professional cleaning which removes hardened plague from your teeth, helping to prevent gum disease. Better still, why not consider stopping for good then you can discuss tooth whitening with our dentist which will bring the sparkle back to your smile!
Dr Nishan Dixit
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