It’s long been established that smoking and tobacco use (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) increases the risk of cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and other serious health problems. It is also a recognized risk factor for gum disease. Not only does tobacco use increase the occurrence of gum disease, it can also hinder the healing process by decreasing your ability to fight infection in your gums and make you susceptible to a variety of oral health problems at a faster rate than non-smokers.
Smoking is responsible for almost 75% of gum disease in adults, and, similar to smokers, adults who smoke pipes and cigars, as well as those using smokeless tobacco, are just as susceptible to gum disease and other tobacco related health problems.
As soon as you use tobacco products, you become more likely to experience any of these oral-health problems:
• Oral cancer
• Gum disease
• Tooth loss
• Loss of bone in the jaw
• Gum recession
• Delayed/impaired healing process after oral surgery or any other treatment
• Decreased success rate of dental implant (tooth replacement) procedures
• Mouth sores
• Loss of your sense of taste and smell
• Bad breath
• Tooth and tongue stains
If you are interested in protecting your oral health we strongly recommend you quit using tobacco products! The following steps are recommended by the Surgeon General to help you quit smoking and using tobacco:
• Get ready – set a quitting date and remove all materials from your home, car and office
• Get support
• Learn new skills and behaviors
• Get medication and use it correctly
• Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations
For support, start with Ressler Hirschl and Lelchuk DDS! We can help by recommending different options to help you quit, and above all we will support you throughout the quitting process. We are dedicated to helping you protect your oral health – and quitting smoking is significant step in the right direction.
Happy Friday and we hope you have a great weekend!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment