National No Smoking Day

Wednesday March 14th 2012 is No Smoking Day and if you are one of the 9 million smokers in the UK, it’s fair to say that you’ve probably tried to quit unsuccessfully, or want to quit. This year the campaign has joined with the British Heart Foundation to make it bigger and better, and hopefully the campaign will be the incentive needed for any smokers out there to “Take the Leap” (the campaign is aptly named for this years’ leap year!), and start a more healthy, smoke free lifestyle.

While it’s a well-known fact that smoking poses a significant hazard to your health (health consequences of smoking include cancers, heart attack, stroke, heart disease, lung disease,
and miscarriage to name a few) the effect that smoking has on dental health is not so well known.
The mouth is, obviously, the primary recipient of the smoke and the first area in the body to come in contact with the smoke and the cocktail of toxic chemicals it contains. The relatively short period of time in which the cigarette smoke is in direct contact with the mouth is enough for it to have the damaging effects listed below:

1. Tooth discoloration: Nicotine and tar present in cigarette smoke form deposits on tooth surface and cause discoloration of teeth. The discoloration can range from yellow to black. While most smokers are aware of this discoloration many find it difficult to remove with tooth brushing.

2. Smoker’s breath: Every smoker has probably been told at least once that their breath stinks. Smokers become immune to this odour – but trust us, the bad breath is obvious to other people.

3. Dry Mouth: Cigarette smoking causes the uncomfortable condition known as dry mouth. This decrease in saliva (with its natural antibacterial, antacid and buffering properties) can lead to a range of problems including bad breath and cavities.

4. Tooth decay: The deposits caused by smoking cause more plaque to build up in the mouth, this plaque is the ideal breeding ground for the bacteria responsible for causing tooth decay.

5. Dental work: Smoking affects dental work and reduces the success rates of procedures such as periodontal surgery and dental implants. Dental implants can be a an excellent way to replace a missing tooth, but require an investment of time and money. They can restore a smile but smoking can render the dental implant procedure a waste of time.

6. Gum disease: A study published in journal of periodontology highlights that smokers are 4 times more likely to suffer from advanced gum disease – which can lead to tooth loss and has other health consequences too.

7. Oral cancer: 90% of patients with oral cancer are smokers, a clear illustration of the role that smoking plays in oral cancers. 3000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, half of these people will die from the disease.

Some other dental hazards of smoking include:
· Sinusitis
· Altered sense of taste and smell
· Hairy tongue
· Delayed wound healing
· Smoker’s lip

The bottom line is that smoking poses a significant threat to your health including your dental health. Being aware of these threats will hopefully deter non-smokers from ever taking up the habit as well as serve as the incentive others need to finally quit smoking.

National No Smoking Day comes once a year and helps to raise awareness of the effects of smoking on health. Here at Absolute Dental, our commitment to improving your dental health is not a one off event. Our clinicians carry out checks to the lining of your mouths at every visit to check for oral cancers; we give smoking cessation advice to every smoker and try to educate or patients on the warning signs to look out for in their mouths that require further investigation.