How Vaping Affects Oral Health
Since the invention of e-cigarettes and vaping in 2003, it’s become incredibly popular. In most cases, people use it as a “healthier” alternative to cigarettes. While we don’t really have enough evidence to support this claim yet, there have been some observations made about the effects it can have on oral health. Let’s look into it a little more.
Nicotine
The simple fact is, vaping is still a way to administer nicotine to your system. Nicotine has a variety of negative effects on your oral health.
Constricted Blood Vessels
First and foremost, nicotine constricts your blood vessels and reduces your blood flow. Of course, since the nicotine is delivered through the mouth, the blood vessels in your gums are the first to be affected by this side-effect.
If your gums aren’t getting as much blood flow, it can be harder for your mouth to fight bacteria. Giving bacteria this opportunity to thrive means you greatly increase your risk for gum disease. Nicotine also makes it harder to detect the early signs of gum disease, making this even more dangerous.
Teeth Grinding
Nicotine can also make people more jittery and cause teeth grinding. This can definitely harm your teeth over time and even possibly lead to TMJ.
Dry Mouth
Although vaporizers create vapor instead of smoke, the nicotine content still causes dry mouth. Remember, saliva is one of the mouth’s greatest defenses against bacteria. Your saliva helps to wash away particles from food and prevent bacteria from growing. If you have dry mouth, it makes it hard for your mouth to create enough saliva to do this.
Unknown Factors
When comparing vaping to traditional cigarettes, we don’t quite have enough data to know the long-term consequences. It simply hasn’t been around long enough. We’re not sure yet if vaping can cause oral cancer, for example.
The chemicals used to flavor vaporizers also haven’t been proven to be 100% safe to inhale. While we’re not ready to say that vaping can cause life-threatening issues in the future, we still don’t recommend vaping overall.
Visit Your Dentist in Springfield, MO
Whether you vape or not, it’s still important to regularly visit your dentist in Springfield, MO and get your cleanings. Parkcrest Dental Group has a variety of oral health services and we’re happy to help and make suggestions to keep your mouth healthy. Contact us today for more information and to schedule an appointment with us.
