The Effects of Smoking and Gum Disease

When the subject of smoking and health comes up, most of us think about heart and lung illnesses. Emphysema and cardiovascular diseases are forever associated with (tobacco) smoking, rightly so. However, this habit has effects that reach other parts of the human anatomy. The mouth, where cigarette smoke makes its entry, also suffers from the toxicity of these fumes, sometimes in life-threatening ways. Awareness ofn this possibility gives additional incentive for people to quit smoking or otherwise avoid the habit altogether. Below is an explanation of the connection between smoking and gum disease as well as a strategy to prevent periodontal disease.

Understanding Gum Disease

In general, periodontal disease is the inflammation of the gums, according to the American Dental Association. It can be quiten mild or more intense. In more serious cases, it will erode the tissue that secures your teeth in place. Gum disease first shows up as gingivitis — plaque accumulates around the gums, carrying infectious bacteria along with it. Often, a victim of gingivitis notices no initial symptoms. Later, though, swelling is evident, as is redness and bleeding during oral care like brushing or flossing. Left untreated, this condition can graduate to something worse.

Periodontitis (moderate or advanced)is the word for advanced gum disease, when the bacteria-laden plaque goes beneath the gum line to inflame the bone and connective tissue. Gums respond by receding and suffering from gaps between them and the teeth.Gum roots are also uncovered and unprotected. Teeth will feel more sensitive and some may even fall out. These are a few signals of smoking and gum disease.

How Smoking Affects Oral Health

What does smoke, filled with tar and nicotine, do to the oral cavity when it flows through? Remember, gums are attacked by bacteria when disease is present. Healthy habits endow the body with a degree of immunity to fight these germs. Smoking changes that. Not only does cigarette (or cigar) smoke weaken the immune function but — when damage is done — impedes the healing function too. So, oral health and smoking do not go together if a healthy mouth is the goal.

The effects of smoking on teeth and gums can be extensive. The most visible effect is likely stained and yellow teeth. Bad breath is also an unfortunate result of the bad marriage of oral health and smoking. Quitting smoking can reverse these unpleasant symptoms. Absent that, there are ways to offset these problems, including dental check-ups for smokers.

Biological Link between Smoking and Gum Disease

Gum disease symptoms are rooted in a variety of causes — including genes — but science demonstrates the relationship between tobacco smoke and periodontal disease. For example, 3-hydroxy (3-OH) fatty acids are substances that boost cellular immunity. They can suppress inflammation in many instances. Smoking actually alters the character and presence of 3-OH in the body. This reduces the overall strength of your immune responses. This means that the effects of smoking on teeth and gums can be far-reaching.

This damage to immunity is evident in chemistry. T-cells are white blood cells that our bodies manufacture to fight off infections and diseases. That is why a high white cell count signals the presence of infection. On the surface of T-cells are receptors that recognize foreign invaders like bacteria, germs and viruses. for example. Nicotine interrupts that recognition and prevents the generation of necessary antibodies. So, nicotine and oral health are at odds because T-cells live in oral tissue as they live elsewhere. Thus, preventing gum disease depends on strengthening immunity by blunting the fallout from nicotine.

Long-term Consequences of Smoking on Oral Health

As mentioned earlier, smoking can lead to a significant loss of teeth. Why? The chemicals in cigarette smoke weaken the tissue that keeps the teeth in place. This is why immediate action is necessary when gum disease symptoms arise. The earlier a person works at preventing gum disease, the higher the likelihood of preserving the teeth. more than that, there is a more serious reason to address the issue of nicotine and oral health.

In 1893, U.S. President Grover Cleveland had secret surgery that ended in the removal of nearly half of his jaw. The diagnosis was mouth cancer and Cleveland received a rubber prosthetic to return his face to a normal shape. Even his doctors believed that the culprit was his chronic cigar puffing. In truth, cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking — chewing tobacco, too — are often factors in oral cancer occurrences. Sores, swelling, difficulty swallowing and even ear pain can indicate possible oral cancer. While there are different treatments to combat oral cancer, the most effective are invasive: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Treatment and Management

Tissue and bone loss due to periodontitis is never completely recoverable so there is no “cure: for gum disease. Still, there are things dentists and patients can do to arrest the disease and restore oral health. Treatment for gum disease in smokers begins with disciplined flossing and brushing, two to three times daily. Also, semiannual dental examinations and cleanings are essential to monitor and minimize any damage from gum disease. Beyond these practices that everyone should follow, treatment for gum disease in smokers can include scaling and root planing. This sort of cleansing goes deeper than routine dental cleaning as it removes plaque from difficult areas and levels the root surfaces. Dental check-ups for smokers will reveal whether this more radical cleaning is warranted.

In advanced cases, a dentist will actually perform surgery and cut into gums to root out the deepest-seated tartar and plaque. Other surgeries reduce the size of pockets where plaque accumulates. Grafting of bone and gum tissue is another procedure available in the case of advanced periodontitis. Smokers can discuss these options with their dentists.

Preventive Measures

The best prevention of gum disease for a smoker to consider is to quit smoking. This allows immunity to recover and healing, where possible, to take place. The twice-yearly check-up with a dentist — and cleaning by a hygienist — goes far to keep gum disorders at bay. Likewise, the consistent self-care noted above. practices like Sherman Oaks Dental Care make a point of partnering with patients to achieve the best dental health.

Conclusion

Smoking makes gum disease more probable. It undermines the body’s ability to defend itself, so infections occur more frequently and spread more quickly. Abstaining altogether goes a long way to ward off this problem. Yet gum disease hits non-smokers, as well. A seasoned and knowledgeable dental practitioner can help to keep the disease away or, at any rate, eliminate further consequences. Sherman Oaks Dental Care stands ready as a partner in the fight against gum disease.

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