Dentists in Arlington Texas Discuss: Smoking and Your Oral Health, PART 1

This three-part article series takes an in-depth exploration of the short and long term effects of tobacco addiction upon your oral health.

Most smokers, if not all of them, are aware of the health implications of their habit. There is a reason tobacco smoking is considered an addiction. Yet in spite of an understanding of the short and long term consequences of tobacco use and the clamping down of the law on smokers, a significant percentage of the population still lights up every day. Most smokers, when asked, say they want to kick the habit, and have tried to on several occasions. But these attempts have been in vain. If this applies to you, then perhaps dentists in Arlington Texas can provide you with the encouragement you need to finally bridge the gap in your resolve! We all know that smoking causes lung cancer and heart disease, say dentists in Arlington Texas. But understanding the intimate details behind the deconstruction of your oral health and hygiene may just be the shock smokers need to finally put their habit to rest.

In this three-part article series, dentists in Arlington Texas shall be discussing the impact of smoking upon one’s oral health. This first article provides an introduction to the topic by discussing the general and oral health statistics relating to smokers as compared with non-smokers. The second article provides some recommendations for those addicted to tobacco-smoking and the third addresses some of the questions dentists in Arlington Texas are frequently asked about oral health and tobacco-use.

Dentists in Arlington Texas: Some Shocking Statistics

You know it’s bad for you. But did you realize just how much at risk your health was? Here’s something to think about:

•75% of all oral cancers are caused by smoking.

•35% of all cancers are caused by smoking.

•95% of all lung cancer fatalities are caused by smoking.

•Emphysema is found almost exclusively in people who are or have been smokers at some stage during their life.

•Smokers have an increased risk of chest pain, palpitations, stroke and heart disease.

These are just a few of the general health implications of tobacco smoking, warn dentists Arlington Texas. So how does this habit affect the health of your teeth and gums?

Dentists in Arlington Texas: Smoking and Your Oral Health

•Smoking is the primary cause of oral and throat cancers.

•Smoking causes irritation and inflammation of the soft tissues in the mouth (the gums, the buccal lining, the tongue, the soft and hard palate, etc.)

•Smokers are twice as likely to lose their teeth, say dentists in Arlington Texas.

•Smoking causes periodontal (gum) disease.

•Smoking causes the salivary glands to become inflamed.

•Smoking retards the healing process in the mouth, resulting in a greater risk of post-procedural infection.

•Smokers have less success with dental implants and periodontal treatment, explain dentists in Arlington Texas.

•According to the Journal of Periodontology, tobacco-users are four times more likely to develop acute and chronic oral bacterial infections than non-smokers.

Alright, so as a smoker you’re probably accustomed to people lamenting the dire consequences of your habit. You’re probably also extremely tired of hearing about how you’re doomed to an early death, etc. etc. You KNOW what you’re doing is bad for you. It’s not like you haven’t tried to quit! If quitting were easy, you wouldn’t still be smoking would you? Most of the health implications mentioned above are the result of a long term love affair with cigarettes, cigars, pipe-smoking and/or tobacco-chewing. And this can make it somewhat easier for smokers to psychologically distance themselves from it all, especially those that are still in their youth. But smoking has many significant short-term health implications too, warn dentists in Arlington Texas; many of which are MOST undesirable for those that have a pinch of self-esteem…

Dentists in Arlington Texas: Short Term Health Implications

•Smoking is a major cause of bad breath, or halitosis.

•Smoking stains your dental enamel, warn dentists in Arlington Texas, rendering your pearly whites a less attractive shade of yellow and brown.

•Smoking impedes your ability to taste and smell properly, say dentists in Arlington Texas.

•Smoking can cause the development of growths on the tongue, resulting in a condition known as ‘black hairy tongue.’ These growths, which can be green, yellow, black or brown in color, are incredibly unsightly and uncomfortable, explain dentists in Arlington Texas.

•Smoking causes ‘dry mouth’, increasing plaque and tartar build-up on the teeth and gums.

Dentists in Arlington Texas: Stay Tuned

Having discussed the short and long term consequences of tobacco addiction, we shall, in the next installment of this three-part article series, provide some recommendations for smokers. Understanding what you are doing to your teeth and gums is the first step, explain dentists in Arlington Texas. Now you can start thinking about what you are going to do to free yourself from the constraints of your addiction. Stay tuned for the second installment of the series!