Smoking and Your Dental Health

Many people don't understand the damage that smoking does to their mouth, gums, and teeth. Smoking has many negative effects on the mouth that can lead to the weakening of gums and advancement of periodontal disease. Smoking significantly weakens your oral health, constricting the blood flow to your mouth and turning it into a breeding ground for bacteria. Smoking may also

• Give you bad breath
• Cause staining of the teeth
• Increase needed recovery time from oral surgery
•  Raise your risk of developing oral cancer

Smoking weakens our immune system and increases risks of developing periodontal (gum) disease significantly. The swelling and irritation connected with gum disease can distress the underlying bone and other supporting structures, eventually causing tooth loss if left untreated.

Gum disease is still the most common cause of tooth loss in adults, and people who smoke are more likely to have bacterial plaque, which leads to gum disease. Smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, and can also suppress your immune system, affecting your capacity to recuperate from common illnesses and heal from minor injuries. 

Any use of tobacco increases the risk of developing a compromised immune system, making it more difficult to treat other illnesses, like oral cancer. It can also increase your risk of developing cancer of the tongue, inflamed salivary glands and the chance of leukoplakia, or white patches inside the mouth.

Smoking and Your Smile

Tobacco use increases the risk of tooth decay and makes cosmetic and restorative treatments more complicated. It also leads to deep tooth discoloration, so professional teeth whitening treatment is less effective. When you stop smoking, and your oral health improves, you may still require veneers to brighten your smile.

Smoking creates more dental plaque and causes gum disease to get worse more quickly than for non-smokers. To combat the effects of smoking, your dentist may recommend you see a dental hygienist, for extra treatment. Thorough cleaning and keeping a closer eye on the health of your mouth can help prevent the negative side effects of smoking. Your dental hygienist will most likely advise you to visit your dentist every three to six months to keep ahead of any problems.

Call us today to schedule an appointment to keep your smile looking bright. 

The Value of Regular Cleanings

Not many dental patients need to be reminded that visiting the dentist twice a year is routine and important, but they don’t often stop to think about why exactly that is. Dental appointments end up being e-mail reminders that pop up on your calendar every so often and seem easy to put off, but there’s real value in regular cleanings, including:

Catching Decay and Damage Early

While dental crowns and fillings are accepted as typical dental treatments, they’re restorations used after decay has already taken hold. When you think about it that way, these procedures seem less easy to ignore and prevention becomes more important. Even small points of decay are still damage to teeth that can ultimately compromise dental health – and some patients don’t even know they have a cavity in its initial stages.

That’s where routine dental appointments become essential. During your examination, Drs. Okamoto can tell you when small spots of decay have developed, thereby preventing the need for more serious treatment and helping to preserve your teeth. Even if a tooth doesn’t feel sensitive or damaged, there’s a chance you could be experiencing tooth decay; only a dentist will be able to tell you for certain during a routine examination.

Prevention of Gum Disease

Gum disease is another common problem, but one that is discussed more frequently, as there are plenty of products that promise to help prevent gum problems and keep your smile healthy. But the truth is that it’s hard to have healthy gums without regular dental cleanings. Even with patients’ best efforts, there are places under the gum line or on and between teeth can be missed through regular brushing and flossing, allowing plaque and tartar accumulate. Though these contribute to gum disease, keeping regular preventive appointments with your dentist provides for thorough removal of build-up and keeps soft tissue infection at bay.

Creating Positive Dental Experiences

Fear of the dentist is powerful and can keep many patients away for years on end. This creates risk for serious dental problems and puts an ever-growing gap between you and your dentist. But when you visit your dentist for regular cleanings, you give them the opportunity to get to know you, earn your trust, and battle any dental anxiety, so you can have a healthy smile. Even complex dental procedures can be made more comfortable when you visit twice a year and keep up good communication with your dentist.

Are you Due for a Cleaning? Call our Office!

Call Drs. Steven and Michelle Okamoto today if you’re due for your next dental cleaning or have a question for our team.