Smoking can lead to gum disease and gum disease leads to tooth loss. About half of gum disease in smokers is caused by smoking and studies have found that using tobacco is one of the largest risk factors for the development of gum disease.

Gum disease is a bacterial infection and in the early stages the gums will bleed easily when brushing or flossing. Smokers typically have less gum bleeding and redness than non-smokers even when their gums are not healthy. This can lead to people thinking their gums are healthy when they are not. Smoking makes gum disease get worse much faster and smokers have more bone loss and treatment of the disease is much more difficult. Smoking also makes treatment less likely to succeed because smoking hampers the healing process. Of course, the changes in the healing response are throughout the entire body – not just the mouth. One more reason to quit!

It is not just cigarette smoke that contributes to gum disease. All forms of tobacco do the same – chewing tobacco has the added plus of upping the risk of oral cancers. The good news is that quitting helps reduce your risks of all types of disease, including gum disease that could lead to tooth loss.

If you do smoke and have no intention of quitting then it is extremely important for you to become best friends with your dental hygienist. You will probably be visiting for cleaning appointments more often than the usual six month recall just to keep your mouth as healthy as possible. These visits also allow us to check for signs of oral cancers.

Please contact Columbus cosmetic dentist Dr. Mark Levy today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your next dental hygiene appointment. Working together we can keep your smile healthy.