Your Wilmington biological and holistic family dentist is proud to stand with the Lung Health Institute to raise awareness about the importance of having healthy lungs — now more than ever. But why does a dentist care about your lungs? Because we focus on total body health, not only oral health, and we know that one of the biggest ways you can damage your lungs is through smoking and tobacco use.
We thought October would be the perfect time to talk about how tobacco (in its many forms) can negatively impact your dental health.
Periodontal Disease Can Occur
Periodontal or gum disease occurs when there’s an infection below your gum line. Unfortunately, gum disease is also the leading cause of tooth loss in American adults. While your biological and holistic family dentist in Wilmington has many tools and solutions effective at healing this disease, they can be made less effective in both smokers and tobacco users. Smoking can lower your body’s immune system so that you can’t fight off the infection. It also makes it more difficult for your gums to heal with treatment.
More Tartar and Plaque Buildup
Plaque and tartar are the ones responsible for causing tooth decay and they don’t mess around. Smoking and using tobacco can lead to an increase in how much they take over your teeth and cause severe dental problems down the road.
Oral Cancer Risk Increases
According to a report from Johns Hopkins Medicine, smokers are at ten times a higher risk for developing oral cancer, compared to non-smokers. They found that smoking is linked to an increased risk for more than twelve other types of cancer as well. We have special VELscope technology at our Wilmington holistic and biological family dental office that gives us an advantage for early detection, which is key to fighting most cancers. Oral cancer is no different. The earlier we detect it, the easier it is for you to heal and recover.
Smoking and tobacco use are also known to lead to other dental issues such as bad breath, unwanted inflammation, and an increased risk of bone loss in your jaw. If you or someone in your family relies on cigarettes or other tobacco products, please consider getting help. As your biological and holistic family dentist in Wilmington we feel an obligation to you, your smile, and your overall health. Contact us today to schedule some time to talk with us. We can talk about your oral health goals and decide what type of treatment plan can work for you. Help is only a phone call away!