If you chew tobacco, it can affect many things inside your mouth from cancer to destroying your teeth. This is especially true if you keep chew in your mouth most of the day. Below are three ways tobacco affects your teeth and treatment options available.
Tooth Decay
When you chew tobacco, it rests right up against your teeth. Most tobaccos have an additive to make them taste better, which is known as sugar. As you likely know sugar is bad for teeth and will cause tooth decay. This is because the sugar and tobacco will wear down the tooth enamel and over time it will wear all the way down. Once this happens you will start having problems with tooth decay. At this point you need to quit chewing and go to the dentist. They will be able to treat the problem. If you continue chewing, however, the problem will come back very quickly.
Stained Teeth
You will notice people that chew tobacco have stained teeth. Your teeth may turn yellow and have dark brown spots if you have chewed for a long period of time. Drinking coffee, wine, etc., will only make things worse.
You can have your teeth whitened by your dentist. If they are extremely stained due to tobacco, the dentist may not be able to fully whiten them, however. If you continue chewing, the stains the dentist does remove will come back quickly. Even brushing your teeth regularly will not keep your teeth white.
Gum Disease
The tobacco not only affects your teeth but because it rests up against your gums also, your gums will become irritated. There are a lot of harmful chemicals in tobacco and these chemicals will get down into your gums to the roots of the tooth. Once this happens infection will set in and this will lead to gum disease.
Gum disease is also known as periodontal disease, and if not treated will cause you to lose your teeth. The type of treatment you have will depend on the severity of your gum disease. With one type, the dentist will scrape the bacteria off the root of each tooth. The dentist may also give you a root canal. Once this is done you will likely have to take antibiotics. If you do not quit using tobacco, the gum disease will not go away no matter what the dentist does.
Talk with a dentist about this information and they can go over everything in much more detail. Contact a clinic, like Parklane Dental to get started.
Share22 December 2018
Halloween is a holiday that my children love, and telling them they can't go door-to-door collecting candy would break their hearts. This led me to allowing them to collect candy on the holiday, then rationing it out to them every day instead of letting them gobble it up in just a few days. I always thought this was better for them, but my dentist told me this could be the reason why their February dental check-ups were always their worst ones. Daily candy consumption was taking a toll on their teeth. I started a new tradition of letting them indulge for two days, then giving them the option to swap the rest with me in exchange for a new toy. They never pass on the opportunity for a new toy. I created this blog to encourage other parents find similar tactics to keep their children's teeth healthy after Halloween.