Unlike the link between smoking and your lungs, the connection between smoking and your oral health may not be an obvious one. But there is certainly a major impact that smoking has on your teeth, and it starts with your gums.
Smoking and Your Gums
Smoking can ravage your overall health because it damages your body’s natural immune response to bacteria and viruses. In other words, ailments that your body could normally fend off more easily if you didn’t smoke become much harder to overcome when you do smoke. If you don’t brush and floss your teeth consistently, plaque and bacteria can grow under your gum line and cause painful and damaging gum disease, the symptoms of which include swollen, bleeding gums and bad breath.
When left untreated, gum disease can spread all they way down to the roots of your teeth and cause widespread decay. If you smoke, it is much easier for plaque and bacteria to multiply under the gum line, therefore making it easier to develop gum disease.
Treatment for Gum Disease
Treatment for gum disease depends on what stage your gum disease is in. If you have gingivitis, which is early stage gum disease, you may just need a deep cleaning below your gum line to do the trick. If you have periodontitis, or advanced gum disease, your dentist will have to come up with a personalized action plan depending on how much decay you’ve developed. This could include root canals or restorative procedures.
Why Quitting Smoking is Important
Smoking’s affect on your immunity impacts your entire body. Quitting smoking is one of the best things that you can do for your health, even though we know it may seem difficult. While we can’t force you to quit, we can emphasize how much it can improve your health and help you save you money on costly dental procedures in the future.
If you have any questions on how smoking impacts your oral health or would like to schedule a cleaning or consultation, know that our team at LM Family Dentistry is here to support you. Contact us to schedule an appointment today!
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