It’s no secret that smoking cigarettes is bad for your teeth. From staining to gum disease, there are hundreds of reasons to avoid smoking. For the avid smoker, vaping may seem like a better alternative. But did you know that vaping can harm your teeth?
While this alternative to smoking cigarettes may seem like a safer choice, it can cause serious damage to your teeth. The primary issue is that vaping and e-cigarettes are relatively new. Because of this there isn’t enough research to prove that this is in fact a better alternative.
Still, the existing research gives us a pretty clear picture of potential negative consequences of vaping.
Vaping and e-cigarettes produce an aerosol that most people assume is harmless water vapor. This mistake leads people to believe that vaping does not have negative effects on the teeth or the rest of the body. But in reality this vapor contains chemicals and nicotine that can cause respiratory disease, heart disease, and even cancer. Cancers caused by vaping include breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and lung cancer.
As if that isn’t enough, there are studies that show that it can harm the immune system, blood cells, and lung health. Plus, there are a number of ways that vaping or smoking e-cigarettes can cause damage to your oral health.
How Vaping Impacts Your Oral Health
Excess Bacteria
Studies suggest that e-cigarettes actually expose your mouth to more bacteria. This bacteria gets caught in the crevices of your teeth and can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and even gum diseases.
Dry Mouth
This liquids found in e-cigarettes and vapes have been shown to cause mouth dryness. This issue is often associated with mouth sores, tooth decay, and bad breath.
Inflamed Gums
These can also cause inflammation which can later lead to periodontal diseases.
Irritation
Vaping can irritate your mouth and throat. This leads to gum symptoms such as swelling, redness, and tenderness.
Cell Death
There are also studies that suggest that the aerosols can actually increase damage to your DNA. This directly impacts the ability of the cells in your mouth to divide and grow, which speeds up the aging process and leads to cell death.
This can cause bone loss, tooth loss, tooth decay, bad breath, dry mouth, and even periodontal diseases.
Overall, vaping has so far been proven to cause issues with your gums and teeth that are serious enough to seriously impact your oral health. So while vaping has been found to cause less gum bleeding and irritation than cigarettes, the potential consequences are not worth the risk.
These problems cannot be combated with good oral hygiene. Even taking care of your teeth and regularly visiting your dentist are not enough to prevent the issues that accompany long-term vaping.
If you’re interested in learning more about the effects of smoking and vaping on your oral health, schedule a consultation today.