Absolutely. Both smoking and vaping expose your mouth to a wide range of toxic chemicals. These can damage gum tissue, increase the risk of cavities, lead to tooth loss, and cause serious infections. From dry mouth, bad breath, receding gums to delayed healing after dental procedures, the impact on both your oral and overall health is serious and often irreversible. The good news? Quitting either habit can significantly improve your gum health and overall wellbeing over time.
Are the similarities between smoking and vaping?
Both require you to inhale a toxic substance into your lungs. Only the medium going into your lungs differs. With cigarettes it is smoke. Many people believe vaping is inhaling flavoured water vapour. It isn’t. That wouldn’t give you popcorn lungs.
What do cigarettes and e-cigarettes contain?
Cigarettes contain:
- 7,000+ chemicals, 70 of which are known carcinogens.
- Addictive, toxic substances: Ammonia, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, pesticides, radioactive polonium-210, and tar.
E-cigarettes contain:
- Flavourings which have their own set of unhealthy ingredients.
- Addictive, toxic substances: Cannabis, diacetyl, diethylene glycol, and tin.
Both contain:
- Toxic substances and heavy metals: Acetate, acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, cadmium, chromium, cyanide, formaldehyde, lead, nickel, nicotine, and various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The often-fatal results of smoking have been widely known for decades. Vaping creates even more issues than lung cancer.
What are the specific problems your mouth will suffer?
Apart from serious diseases like cancer, popcorn lung, EVALI, and addiction, to name a few, the side effects of smoking and vaping are:
- Irreversible damage your mouth tissue and tongue.
- A higher risk of gum disease.
- Increased development of cavities
- Tooth-loss
- Complications after tooth removal or oral surgery
- Increased likelihood of infections.
- Decreased ability to heal after oral infections or dental surgery.
- Burns: The e-cigarette mouthpiece can reach extremely high temperatures, burning both in and outside your mouth. E-cigarettes have been known to explode causing severe burns and trauma needing emergency care and surgery.
- Discoloured or stained teeth. The nicotine in both cigarettes and e-cigarettes stains and discolours teeth.
Symptoms of gum disease caused by smoking and vaping:
Dry Mouth
E-cigarettes liquids prompt oral dryness increasing the bacteria in your mouth resulting in:
- Bad breath (gingivitis)
- Mouth sores
- Receding gums
- Increased cavities from unchecked tooth decay
- The potential spread of bacteria from this decay spreading throughout your body, leaving you with an overall sense of ill-health.
- There is some evidence that vaping may be responsible for strokes.
Periodontal Disease
- Sore and swollen, often bleeding gums
- Loose teeth
- Hardening of the arteries.
The good news
While there some damage is potentially permanent and irreversible, including DNA changes and genetic mutations, your health can improve. In fact, you’ll begin to feel better within a few days of quitting. But it could be twenty years before your body will have recovered completely.
Neither smoking nor vaping are as ‘cool’ as the marketers would have you believe. A dazzling smile and fresh breath are much cooler, and healthier as well.
If you have any concerns about the health of your gums and if your teeth are in trouble, contact us on 0508 TEAM DENTAL and make an appointment today.