Smoked chicken, smoked beef, even smoked fish, – haddock springs to mind – there’s lots to love about smoking. But there’s one thing that should never be smoked – your teeth!
Pipes, cigars, cigarettes, vaping, snuff or chewing tobacco, it all leaves a trail of destruction as it seeps into your body, including your mind as nicotine is highly addictive.

5 THINGS TOBACCO DOES IN YOUR MOUTH

1. Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)

One of the most important bodily functions, is the production of saliva. Your body produces between 2 to 4 pints of saliva a day. It keeps your mouth moist and comfortable. Without saliva, chewing, tasting, and swallowing your food would be difficult. Dry mouth will cause your gums, tongue, and the tissues in the inside of your mouth to swell and become uncomfortable. You may be uncomfortable, but you know what isn’t? Germs! For germs, your dry mouth is paradise. And that leads to bad breath. Saliva fights back against these bad breath invaders. At the same time, the proteins and minerals in your saliva protect your teeth’s enamel, preventing tooth decay and gum disease. If you think it doesn’t matter because you have dentures think again! It’s saliva that keeps your dentures in place.

2. Dental decay and gum disease (Periodontitis)

Dry mouth encourages rapid tooth decay and gum disease. It can become so bad that you won’t only lose your teeth, you may lose the bone in your jaw and encounter other serious health issues. Saliva is your body’s first line of defence as it helps to clear food particles that have hidden themselves among your teeth. Periodontitis may require surgery.

3. No sense of taste (Ageusia)

Dry mouth deadens your taste buds. It can take weeks to regain your sense of taste after you give up smoking. Vaping is even worse in this regard. Vaping is not a safer option to smoking. It is in fact, even worse.

4. Bloodless gums

Anaerobic bacteria, the kind that causes gum disease, loves environments where there is little to no oxygen. Blood isn’t just red, sticky stuff. It is filled with oxygen. Without a healthy supply of blood to your gums you’re helping the enemy.

5. Yellow teeth

Smoking stains your skin and your teeth. It’s really not a good look. It’s caused by the tar in the cigarettes which leaves a sticky, brown scum on your teeth, your fingers and in your lungs.

3 SUBSTANCES YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY EVERY TIME YOU TAKE A PUFF

It’s just leaf, right? Cigarette smoke has over 7000 chemical components. Here are the 3 worst.

• Hydrogen-cyanide interferes with your body’s use of oxygen, harming your brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs.
• Arsenic causes cancer of the mouth, throat, tongue, lungs, skin, liver, and bladder. Oral cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world.
• Benzene can cause leukemia in humans.

Make an appointment with your nearest Team Dental Centre to assess what your smoking habit has done to your teeth and how to stop smoking.