Don't let your dental health go up in smoke!!

The good news is that quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for the health of your heart and has a huge beneficial impact on the health of your mouth!

Stopping smoking is one of the most challenging experiences that many of our patients go through. We understand how hard it can be but there has never been a better time to give up and you are not alone in your quest!

There are many ways that smoking affects our dental health including the following and patients may experience obvious signs and symptoms. Signs and concerns patients may inform us about include:

Bad breath

Staining

Increase of plaque and calculus

Dry mouth or xerostomia. This is a reduction in saliva, leaving patients more at risk from caries and periodontal disease.

White patches inside the mouth

Loose teeth

Signs and symptoms we see also include:

Increase of bone loss

Increased risk of gingivitis(gum disease) and periodontal disease

Delayed healing after extractions

Lower success of implant proceedures

Increase in signs of oral cancer, white patches, red patches.

Smoking and other tobacco products lead to gum disease by affecting the attachment of bone and soft tissues to your teeth and it interferes with the normal function of gum tissue cells. It affects the blood flow to the tissues which then impairs wound healing.

If you decide to quit or want to cut down, there are a huge range of options!

Face to face at Absolute

Firstly talk to your dentist and hygienist at Absolute Dental and we will work with you to find practical ways to help you stop. The good news is that every time we see you for a visit we are checking to see if smoking or the use of tobacco is having an impact on your oral health. We do this by firstly asking you if you have noticed any changes around your mouth. This could mean to you any sore patches, redness, dryness, bleeding on cleaning your teeth. We screen for oral cancer, inflammation of the lining of your mouth, and the dryness of your mouth. We also record where we find deposits of plaque, calculus, inflammation of gums and periodontal disease and stain and if your smoking habits have changed. We know that even cutting down can bring significant benefits to your dental health and the health of your heart.

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In these days of internet availability, there are many helpful websites including WeQuit which has an online forum full of helpful tips from around 44,000 other quitters who you can swap tips with and find out how other people cope. The British Heart Foundation have a stop smoking booklet and have a free Heart Matters service who can help with support and advice.

Getting started in stopping!!!

Make a date to give up! and stick to it - throw away all your tobacco lighters and ashtrays.

Make a plan and think what could help you stop- nicotine replacement therapy, and have whatever you need ready for the date you plan to stop.

Think smart and download information about the different methods of stopping smoking

Get support - tell your family and friends. Talk to your GP or practice nurse.

Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes and changing your routine can really help with this!

Treat yourself!!!! If you can, use the money you're saving to buy yourself something special!

Maureen