Week One of Oral Health Month 2012 with Absolute Dental

September 2012 is Oral Health Month where we encourage out patients to "Love Your Mouth - it's good for your health".

Research shows that some illnesses, medical conditions, medications and lifestyle habits can have an adverse affect on your oral health. With this in mind, here at Absolute Dental, we have decided to write our blogs in September with this in mind - calling the series "The Four P's". Here is the first blog for September, written by our newest team member, dental nurse Caroline.

Pills, Potions & Poisons

Oral health is not only important to your appearance and sense of well being, but also to your overall health.


Smoking is a major risk factor for oral and dental disease, including oral cancer. Tobacco smoke is very harmful to gum tissues and other tissues in your mouth. Toxins in smoke can cause oral cancer and also damage the bone around your teeth, a major cause of tooth loss. In fact, smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for gum disease and perhaps the biggest risk factor for oral cancer.

How Does Smoking Lead to Gum Disease?

Smoking and other tobacco products can lead to gum disease by affecting the attachment of bone and soft tissue to your teeth. More specifically, it appears that smoking interferes with the normal function of gum tissue cells. This interference makes smokers more susceptible to infections, such as periodontal disease, and also seems to impair blood flow to the gums - which may affect wound healing.

Medications can cause tooth damage and can affect gums

Many drugs, both prescription and illegal, can cause tooth damage. Estimates suggest that about 40 per cent of people take at least one type of medicine that could damage their teeth. They can cause gum problems such as inflammation, bleeding or ulceration. Diseased gums can lead to other dental problems including tooth loss.

Excessive fluoride can damage children's teeth. Antihistamines, aspirin, asthma medications and syrups may cause tooth damage. Illegal drugs including cocaine, crack, ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine can damage teeth.

When you come to Absolute Dental, we will often ask you to complete a confidential medical update. Here we ask you to list any pills, potions or lotions that you might be taking - not only does this ensure we keep you safe whilst you are with us, but it also helps us to build a complete picture of your dental health, and the ways in which we can help you to keep your teeth and gums healthy.