It seems that many of us still need reminders about the bad outcomes that smoking determines for our health. I know, personally, that I see too many (usually) men in positions of leadership continuing to flout their smoking habits in public displays. What does this tell the younger folk within their organisations, as they see area managers puffing away outside the building? In response to this, here are some key data points to remember. It’s not just top dentists who will tell you why smoking is so bad for your teeth and gums.

Oral Care Matters More Than Most Health Policy Experts Will Admit

The tipping point here is that the latest health research data is clearly informing us that oral care is far more crucial for our overall wellbeing than ever thought before. Dentists used to be excluded from the big table, where the important decisions about health policy were made, but not so much anymore. The crazy fact in Australia, that oral care is not included in Medicare, is another paradoxical situation within our national planned economy. Critics of Medicare might bitch and moan about some stuff but the Australian people overwhelmingly love Medicare. The LNP tried for 22 years to repeal Medicare but eventually accepted the electoral truth about its popularity. It is not perfect, indeed it needs to include dental care, but it far outperforms the alternative of greedy private health insurance corporations exploiting consumers, as in America.

Smoking & Vaping Are Bad For Your Oral Health

Smoking is really bad for your oral health and here is why:

“First and foremost, tobacco products containing nicotine, like cigarettes and vapes, can have a detrimental effect on your teeth and gums that can leave your mouth in poor shape. This is because tobacco products are filled with toxic chemicals that seep into your gums, traumatising and severely affecting the gums and even the dental bone in which your teeth sit. This leaves the mouth more vulnerable to infection, which is often one of the main contributors of gum disease. Plaque buildup from tobacco can also turn into tartar, which can cause your gums to inflame and recede, exposing the roots of your teeth, and leading to chronic problems like tooth and bone loss.”
– Dental News

The Addictive Nature Of Nicotine & Smoking

We now know that nicotine is a highly addictive substance. In fact we have known this for more than a century. You have to remember that tobacco kicked off as widely traded and then, used product from 1492 onwards. Perhaps, it could be cynically referred to as the ‘revenge of the American “Indians”.’

“Tobacco as we know it originated in temperate climates of America. The native populations chewed and smoked the leaves, and they spread the plant throughout the Americas. By the time of Columbus’s landing on San Salvador in 1492, tobacco had reached across the continent and nearby islands, and the leaves had become a form of barter. Through the 1500’s tobacco use began to spread as Spanish, Portuguese, and later English sailors introduced its use at ports.”
– NCBI.gov

Importantly, the indigenous populations did not mass produce tobacco as consumer products. Smoking was largely a ritualised tribal event and not a personalised habit. When people are aware of the community shared effort involved in the preparation of tobacco, individuals are not inclined to chain smoke, as folk do with mass produced cigarettes. Capitalism separates consumers from how things are made and the focus is on the money used to buy stuff rather than the totality of the things themselves. Capitalism and mass production strips out the soul of things and turns them into lifeless products. However, the allure of smoking and now, vaping remains at its core on the psychological level a shared ritual. You see smokers congregating together and sucking in that smoke and vapour in a shared activity. This is addictive, in concert with the chemical addictiveness of nicotine as a substance.

The Moist Matter Of Our Mouths

Our mouths are moist cavities and smoking dries them out. This is not good for your oral health, and for the wellbeing of your teeth and gums. In fact, even non-smokers and non-vapers are advised by top dental experts to maintain the saliva levels within their oral cavities to avoid plaque build-up. Bad bacterium forms in and around teeth and gums from dry mouth. Eventually, this results in tooth decay and gum disease. Slosh a little pure water around your mouth, teeth and gums multiple times during your waking hours for best results. No, coffee and tea do not count. Nor do soft drinks, juices, sports drinks, or alcoholic drinks. Just water is the answer here.

Oral Cancer Is Greatly Increased Via Smoking

Your chance of developing oral cancer is greatly increased if you smoke or vape. Around 25% of oral cancers which occur in the United Kingdom are linked to smoking, according to research. – Cancer Research UK

Smoking disfigures mouths, teeth and gums from its long term effects. Even in the short term it browns your teeth and makes your breath stink. Smoking is not cool; it smells and tastes bad. You are fooling yourself if you think otherwise. When we are young we feel bullet proof and indestructible but this is a temporary delusion. Impressionable human beings are impressively stupid when it comes to habits like smoking. Cancers of the lips, mouth and tongue are not pretty sights.

Top Dental Experts Talk About Nicotine & Tooth Decay

“Nicotine can have severe effects on tooth decay – perhaps something that isn’t as well known. When you smoke, the chemicals in tobacco mix with your saliva, causing its PH levels to drop, and become less effective at neutralising acids. As a result, this creates the perfect environment for tooth decay – because the bacteria in your mouth can more easily damage the enamel on your teeth. Tooth decay is extremely serious as it can lead to problems such as cavities, tooth loss and even more serious health problems in the future. “
– Who International

Smoking Lowers Your Immunity & Ability To Fight Off Infections

As we pass through life’s tapestry we still may meet many dyed in the wool smokers and drinkers, mostly blokes, who proudly defend their lifestyle habits and ability to stay healthy. This false bravado, most usually, has a limited life span – no pun intended. Boozing and its firm companion, smoking, makes most homo sapiens not the smartest apes in the room. Many writers like this one have walked quite a few kilometres in their shoes and not always in a straight line. Again for our youngest generations, the allure of smoking and drinking, especially among compadres, is compelling. Ultimately, however, we all die alone and, indeed, may spend our final years enfeebled by our poor health and largely alone. Top dental experts entreat us, as did the actor Yul Brynner, to stop smoking for the sake of our health. There are no ifs or maybe’s here, it is an imperative, for your teeth and gums, and your overall wellbeing: “Whatever you do, don’t smoke”.

The Effects of Smoking On Other Organs

The male body, often that bastion of smoking machismo, is negatively impacted by smoking. It lowers sperm count, producing a higher rate of deformed sperm, plus causes genetic damage to sperm. This may not concern men when they are young but there comes a time when a partner will want sperm to measure up for the making of babies. Impotence also occurs at an increased level from poor blood flow from the effects of smoking. The penis’ blood vessels do not get what they need due to damage and cannot get up for the occasion. Smoking aint so cool after all.

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