By Dr Mona Abbadi, Periodontist
Smoking can lead to a whole host of health problems, such as heart disease, lung problems and even death. When it comes to oral health, smoking causes gum disease.
Actually, smoking has several effects on gum tissues, one of these effects is that smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, so infected gums don’t heal fast and this is noticeable in gum surgeries as the flap doesn’t close and heal within the expected time.
Smoking also weakens the body’s infection fighter: the immune system. This makes it harder to fight off a gum infection and the disease becomes more pronounced in smokers than in non-smokers.
When we say smoking, I mean cigarettes, pipes, smokeless tobacco and shisha.
It’s a well-known fact that smokers are more likely to have gum diseases two times more than non-smokers; this risk increases when the number of cigarettes and years of smoking increase.
What You Should Know
Smokers should know that as long as they are still smoking, gum disease treatment might not be effective and they might end up with tooth loosening due to gum diseases.
The most severe risk of smoking and other types of tobacco use is the incidence of oral cancer. According to Johns Hopkins University, cigarette smokers are 10 times more likely to develop oral cancer than non-smokers.
My advice for smokers: Please plan to quit smoking and until you do, keep your oral cavity clean by brushing twice a day, use a tongue brush, mouthwash and visit your dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning.
The incidence of gum diseases is around 5 percent for non-smokers, 11 percent for former smokers, and 16 percent for current smoker.
You can contact Mona Abbadi at [email protected]
