Smoking

Smoking and Oral Health

In addition to the obvious health hazards associated with smoking it also detrimentally affects the health of the oral tissues.

• Sticky tar deposits or brown staining on the teeth

• Smoker's palate - red inflammation on the roof of the mouth

• Retarded healing of the gums

• Increased severity of gum disease

• Bad breath or halitosis

• Black hairy tongue

• Oral lesions

• Gum recession - with chewing tobacco at the site of the tobacco "wad", the gums react by receding along the tooth root, exposing the root

• Oral cancer

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Hazards of Tobacco

One of the most devastating effects of tobacco is the development of oral cancer. Approximately 75% of all oral cancers in first world countries are associated with tobacco use and alcohol consumption. The risk of oral cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and the number of years that the person has been smoking. Cigarettes are not the only oral habit that can cause oral cancer. All tobacco products for example, smokeless or spit tobacco, cigars, and pipes are all associated with oral cancer. The type of tobacco product may also dictate where the oral cancer can be located in the mouth. For instance, smokeless tobacco is linked to cancer of the cheek and gums.

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