Smoking Can Send Your Oral Health South by Causing Dry Mouth

Tobacco use in any form is terrible for your oral health for a wide variety of reasons. The tar in tobacco can leave unsightly stains and deposits on the teeth, and nicotine, the addictive substance that gives smokers and chewers a buzz, causes blood vessels to constrict, which can make it harder for your body to fight gum disease. However, you may not be aware of how this nasty habit can cause dry mouth. Here’s a brief guide to how this can happen and what you can do to keep your smile healthy and beautiful.

What Is Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth is an oral health condition characterized by inadequate saliva flow. Saliva, also called spit, serves to keep the teeth lubricated and nourished while helping to dilute and flush away harmful agents like bacteria, acid, and food debris. If your body isn’t producing enough saliva, your teeth will be more likely to be injured and more severely affected by exposure to enamel-eroding acids as well as stain-causing pigments and dyes. Dry mouth can also cause bad breath by allowing foul-smelling bacteria and food debris to accumulate in the oral cavity.

How Can Smoking Cause Dry Mouth?

Tobacco use comes with the side effect of inhibiting your body’s saliva production, which can lead to dry mouth. This will deprive your teeth of the lubrication they need to avoid injuries as well as the nutrient bath they need to stay healthy and strong.

Smoking is also associated with a range of other oral health issues like:

• Irritation of the soft tissues, which can lead to gum disease
• Accumulations of unsightly stains
• Receding gumlines, which can lead to destructive oral infections such as abscesses
• Erosion of the jawbone
• Tooth loss

How Can I Mitigate the Risks Smoking Poses to My Oral Health?

One way to mitigate the oral health damage associated with dry mouth caused by tobacco use is to reduce your consumption of these products while drinking plenty of water to ensure that your body stays hydrated enough for adequate saliva flow. However, it’s ideal to quit this habit completely. The accumulated negative health effects of tobacco use will begin to dissipate within hours of extinguishing your last cigarette, and your dentist will surely be pleased with how this will improve your oral health.

Don’t let tobacco use set you up for tooth loss as well as a host of other oral health woes. Consulting with your dentist can help you find the best ways to keep your smile healthy and beautiful.

About the Practice

Sunny Dental & Orthodontics offers the finest oral healthcare in Lancaster. Led by Drs. Duong, Kuan, Lee, and Han, the staff ensures that each patient receives fantastic customer service as well as genuine compassion and personalized treatments. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. To learn more about how you can keep your mouth clean and healthy, contact the staff online or dial (469) 765-8050.