Undeniably, smoking is bad for your overall health. Your dentist office in Silver Spring, MD will advise against smoking because it can have serious consequences on your oral health as well. Your dentist office will tell you that tobacco use can cause a number of oral health issues ranging from discolored teeth to oral cancer.
Using tobacco products will yellow your teeth and your tongue. Although smoking does not cause dental decay, it does cause periodontal or gum disease. Your dentist office in Silver Spring, MD can explain that smoking will start to cause inflammation of the gums, progressing to the bone that supports the roots of your teeth which will become inflamed causing the underly bone to deteriorate.
Your dentist office in Silver Spring, MD can recommend surgical and nonsurgical procedures to slow the progression of periodontal disease and will definitely counsel you to stop smoking immediately. Without proper treatment, gum disease will eventually lead to tooth loss and damage to the jawbone.
Dentist offices in Silver Spring, MD warn their patients that no tobacco is safe. It does not matter rather it is chewed, smoked, or inhaled. Pipe smokers do not smoke as often, but when they do smoke, they are always holding the pipe in the same spot on their lips which can cause lip cancer. The same happens with chewing tobacco. The constant chewing in one place can eventually cause mouth cancer.
Stop Smoking. Once you quit smoking, the risk of oral health problems decrease. You dentist office in Silver Spring, MD can advise you that once you have quite for a decade, your risk for periodontal disease is that of a person who has never smoked before.
Regular Dental Checkups. Early detection of oral cancer can improve your outcome. A regular dental checkup at your dentist office in Silver Spring, MD will include checking for mouth ulcers, doing a biopsy for diagnosis. Getting treatment right away will increase your odds of survival.
Brush and Floss Properly. Some people develop periodontal disease from not properly brushing and flossing. People who smoke should be more careful about brushing and flossing and do it more often.
Talk to your dentist office in Silver Spring, MD about your smoking habits and get as much information about the damages it can cause to your oral health. Your dentist can give you suggestions on how to kick your habit of smoking or using other tobacco products that are harmful to your overall health as well as your oral health.
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