Placerville Dental Group Encourages Stopping Smoking
November 17th is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, a day when people are encouraged to quit the tobacco habit. As the Cancer Society says on their website, “there’s no safe way to use tobacco.” As dentists and hygienists, we see the negative effects of smoking every day in our Placerville dental practice. Therefore, we encourage our patients who smoke to take the challenge and quit the habit.
Side Effects of Tobacco
The most dangerous side effect of tobacco use is an increased risk of oral and throat cancers. Dentists are often the first professionals to diagnose oral cancer, since patients tend to visit dentists more often than any other type of doctor. Therefore, visiting your dentist every six months if you smoke is a critical “good habit.”
Other side effects of tobacco are far more common and these include yellowed teeth and gum recession. Tobacco is believed to reduce the blood flow to the gums and jaw. As a result, “tobacco use may be one of the biggest factors in the development of periodontal disease,” says Dr. David Albert of Columbia University. This blood flow reduction also makes tobacco users poor candidates for dental implants. Implant failure is noticeably higher in smokers, limiting tobacco users to standard bridges or dentures for dental restorations.
For help to quit smoking, ask the dentists at the Placerville Dental Group. We can provide you with helpful prescriptions and direct visual evidence of how smoking affects your teeth and gums. For more information, call us for a consultation at 530-295-8000 or use our website for more articles on tobacco.
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