Smoking is a well-known health hazard. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking is a leading cause of many serious health conditions, from lung cancer to heart disease.

However, the impact of smoking on oral health is often overlooked. If you have a smoking habit, you could destroy your teeth and gums. For example, you could lose your teeth, suffer diseases like oral cancer and periodontal disease, and develop cavities. In this article, you learn how smoking can harm your teeth.

Slow Healing After Tooth Extraction Or Other Dental Surgery Procedures

When you smoke, the healing process after dental surgery or tooth extraction slows significantly. During this process, a blood clot forms to protect the underlying bone and nerves as your tissues recover.

However, smoking introduces harmful chemicals into your mouth, which can disrupt the clotting process. One major risk smokers have is developing a condition called dry socket. This painful condition occurs when the blood clot dislodges or dissolves before the wound has healed. The suction and heat from smoking can easily cause this to happen.

The bone and nerves are exposed without the protective clot, leading to severe pain, impaired osseointegration, and delayed healing​.

Nicotine in cigarettes constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the gums and other oral tissues. Inadequate blood supply means fewer nutrients, white blood cells, and oxygen reach the wound.

In return, the healing process is further slowed down, and there is an increased risk of infection. Tobacco's toxic chemicals can also impede the body's ability to fight off bacteria, making infections more likely and more severe​. Smoking can also affect the healing of other dental procedures, like gum surgeries and implants.

Increased Buildup Of Plaque And Tartar On The Teeth

Tobacco products contain harmful chemicals like nicotine and tar. These elements cause a sticky film called plaque on your teeth, which harbors harmful bacteria. Additionally, smoking reduces saliva flow, which usually helps wash away food particles. This dry mouth condition exacerbates plaque accumulation on your teeth.

Plaque that is not removed hardens into tartar, a tough substance that can only be removed by a dental professional. Tartar buildup is unsightly and also a breeding ground for more bacteria.

Smoking also alters the natural balance of bacteria in your mouth. This promotes the growth of harmful strains that further contribute to plaque and tartar buildup.

As tartar accumulates, it irritates your gums, causing them to become inflamed and leading to gingivitis. Also, the constant exposure to tobacco smoke weakens your body's immune response, making it harder for your mouth to combat bacterial infections. This impaired immunity allows plaque and tartar to build up more rapidly and persistently, causing chronic gum irritation and infection.

Increased Loss Of Bone Within The Jaw

The harmful effects of smoking extend deep into the jawbone. Cigarette smoking introduces harmful chemicals like nicotine and carbon monoxide into your body. These substances deteriorate your bone health.

As mentioned above, Nicotine, in particular, constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the gums and bone tissue. This impaired circulation hinders the delivery of essential nutrients and oxygen that maintain healthy bone structure.

Reduced blood flow caused by smoking directly affects the bone remodeling process. Bone remodeling is a continuous cycle where new bone tissue replaces old bone tissue. This process is vital for maintaining bone strength and integrity. However, smoking disrupts this balance by slowing the production of new bone cells and accelerating the breakdown of existing bone. This imbalance leads to the loss of bone density over time.

The chemicals in tobacco smoke also have a direct toxic effect on bone cells. They disrupt the activity of osteoblasts, the cells responsible for bone formation. Moreover, smoking reduces the absorption of calcium, an essential mineral for bone health. Lower calcium levels contribute to decreased bone density and increased fracture risk.

Severe loss of bone density can lead to a condition known as alveolar bone resorption, where the bone that supports your teeth deteriorates. Over time, this condition can cause loose teeth, changes in facial structure, and difficulties chewing and speaking.

Lower Success Rate Of Dental Implants

When it comes to dental implants, smoking triggers multiple physiological and biochemical processes that undermine implant stability and longevity. Research has shown that the success rate of dental implants in smokers is significantly lower than in non-smokers.

The overall success rate for dental implants is high, typically around 95-98%. However, smokers experience a notably higher failure rate. Studies show that smokers face an increased annual rate of bone loss around the implant, compounding over time and leading to a higher risk of implant failure.

Smoking affects blood flow in your body. Nicotine and other harmful substances in tobacco cause vasoconstriction, which reduces blood flow to the gums and bones surrounding the implant. Reduced blood flow means less oxygen and fewer nutrients reaching the surgical site, impairing the healing process.

Healthy blood flow supports initial implant integration, known as osseointegration. Without adequate blood supply, the bone cells cannot properly adhere to the implant surface, increasing the risk of implant failure.

Moreover, smoking compromises your immune system. Chemicals in tobacco weaken your body’s natural defenses, making it harder to fight infections. Therefore, the presence of bacteria in your mouth can cause peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the tissues around the implant.

Peri-implantitis can cause bone loss and ultimately lead to implant failure. Studies indicate that smokers have a higher rate of peri-implantitis compared to non-smokers, further jeopardizing the success of dental implants.

Another factor is the damage smoking causes to the salivary glands, leading to dry mouth. Saliva protects teeth from bacteria by neutralizing acids and washing away food particles. Reduced saliva production can create a more favorable environment for harmful bacteria to thrive. In return, this exacerbates gum disease and increases the likelihood of complications with dental implants.

Periodontal Disease or Gum Disease

Smoking is associated with the development and progression of periodontitis, commonly known as gum disease. Dentists link this connection to several biological and chemical interactions that occur in the mouth when tobacco is used. Studies have shown that smokers are about four times more likely to have advanced gum disease. The severity of this risk increases with the amount of tobacco used. Therefore, heavy smokers face a higher likelihood of severe gum disease compared to those who smoke less.

Cigarette smoking adversely affects your immune system, particularly in its ability to fight infections. As explained above, decreased blood flow from nicotine impairs the healing process, making it harder for gums to recover from infections or injuries.

Also, plaque and tartar buildup harbor bacteria that release toxins that irritate and inflame the gums. When the gums are inflamed, they pull away from the teeth, creating pockets where more bacteria can accumulate. This process exacerbates the infection and leads to the destruction of the tissues and bones that support the teeth.

Smoking impacts the body's inflammatory response when bacteria invade the gums. Your body responds with inflammation to fight infection. However, smoking impacts this response, allowing the bacteria to thrive and the infection to rapidly spread. This inflammatory response can lead to chronic inflammation, further deteriorating the gums and supporting structures of the teeth.

Dental Staining or Discoloration

Smoking leaves evidence lingering long after your last puff, particularly on your teeth. Nicotine and tar are the two major chemicals that cause teeth staining. As you inhale tobacco smoke, these substances pass over your teeth and quickly adhere to the enamel. You can likely notice teeth discoloration.

Although nicotine is colorless, it turns yellow when it reacts with oxygen. This reaction explains why smokers' teeth often become yellowish over time. Tar, another component of tobacco, is naturally dark. Together, these elements create stubborn stains that are difficult to remove with regular brushing alone​.

The staining process is exacerbated by the porous nature of tooth enamel. Enamel, despite being the hardest substance in the human body, contains microscopic pores. When nicotine and tar settle in these pores, discoloration becomes deeply embedded. This makes it challenging to eliminate without professional dental cleaning​.

The stains caused by smoking also penetrate the dentin, the layer beneath the enamel. This deeper staining makes teeth more resilient against over-the-counter whitening products. Professional treatments, like teeth whitening and dental lasers, are often required for noticeable improvement. These dental procedures can effectively break down the stains on and below the surface of the teeth, restoring a whiter appearance.

Discolored teeth can affect your confidence and how others perceive you. They also serve as a visible reminder of the broader health risks associated with smoking, prompting you to consider the long-term effects on your oral health​.

Tooth Decay

The harmful chemicals in tobacco products create an environment in your mouth that promotes the growth of harmful bacteria. These bacteria feed on the sugars in your food and beverages, producing acids that erode your tooth enamel​.

Tooth decay begins with reduced saliva production, a common issue for smokers. Saliva is your mouth's natural defense mechanism against decay. It helps to wash away food particles, neutralize acids, and provide disease-fighting substances throughout your mouth. Smoking reduces saliva flow, leading to a dry mouth condition, medically known as xerostomia. Food particles and sugars linger longer on your teeth without sufficient saliva, providing a feast for decay-causing bacteria.

These bacteria form a sticky film called plaque, which clings to the surfaces of your teeth. If not removed through regular brushing and flossing, plaque hardens into tartar. The acids produced by the bacteria in plaque and tartar erode your tooth enamel, creating cavities, or holes, in your teeth. This decay can progress deeper into the tooth, reaching the dentin and even the pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels. At this stage, you experience significant pain, potentially leading to abscesses and severe infections​.

When the nicotine in tobacco restricts blood flow, the gums receive fewer nutrients and oxygen. This deficiency impairs your gum’s ability to repair and regenerate. This compromised state makes your gums more susceptible to infections and further exacerbates the risk of tooth decay​.

Moreover, smoking can mask the symptoms of dental problems, promoting the risk of tooth decay. For example, gum disease, which often accompanies tooth decay, may progress unnoticed because smoking can suppress the usual signs of gum inflammation and bleeding. This delayed detection often means that dental cavities are more advanced and severe by the time they are identified and treated​.

Oral Cancer

Smoking tobacco is a leading cause of oral cancer. The carcinogenic substances in tobacco, such as nicotine, tar, and over 70 other cancer-causing chemicals, expose your mouth to these harmful agents. These chemicals can cause mutations in the DNA of your oral cells, leading to uncontrolled cancer cell growth and development​.

Every time you inhale cigarette smoke, the toxins make direct contact with your mouth's lining. Over time, this continuous exposure can damage the cells in your mouth, forming precancerous lesions.

These lesions, often white or red patches, are known as leukoplakia and erythroplakia, respectively. If not detected and treated early, they can progress to malignant tumors​.

Smoking also weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections and heal. This immunosuppressive effect means the body is unable to repair damage from tobacco's carcinogens.

Consequently, the likelihood of these damaged cells becoming cancerous increases significantly. Moreover, smoking can alter the oral microbiome, the balance of bacteria in your mouth, further promoting an environment conducive to cancer development​.

The areas of the mouth most commonly affected by oral cancer include the following:

  • Lips
  • Tongue
  • The floor of the mouth
  • Back of the throat

Symptoms of oral cancer can include:

  • Persistent sores
  • Lumps or rough patches in the mouth
  • Difficulty chewing or swallowing
  • Unexplained bleeding or numbness

However, because smoking can suppress your sense of pain and reduce inflammation, these symptoms may go unnoticed until the cancer is in an advanced stage​.

Tooth Loss Due to Untreated Decay

The more you smoke cigarettes, the more you expose your teeth and gums to harmful chemicals that can affect your oral health. Over time, you could lose your teeth.

The primary mechanism through which smoking causes tooth loss is its contribution to periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. Smoking impairs the immune system, reducing your body's ability to fight infections, including those in your gums. The toxins in tobacco also hinder blood flow to the gums. This environment allows harmful bacteria to thrive, leading to inflammation and infection of the gums​.

As gum disease progresses, it destroys the tissues and jaw bones that hold your teeth in place.  Initially, you may experience symptoms like red, swollen gums that bleed easily. If left untreated, the disease progresses to periodontitis, where the inner layer of the gum and bone pull away from the teeth, forming pockets that become infected.

The body's immune system fights bacteria as plaque spreads and grows below the gum line. The bacterial toxins and the body's natural response to infection start to break down the bone and connective tissue that hold teeth in place. Over time, this can lead to the teeth becoming loose and eventually falling out​.

Smoking also directly affects the mouth's environment by reducing saliva production, leading to dry mouth. Saliva is crucial for maintaining oral health as it helps wash away food particles and neutralize acids produced by bacteria in the mouth. A decrease in saliva flow allows plaque and bacteria to build up more easily, accelerating tooth decay and gum disease. Increased bacterial growth and decreased healing capacity significantly increase the likelihood of tooth loss.

The risk of tooth loss is compounded by the fact that smokers often have more tartar on their teeth than non-smokers. This excessive tartar buildup requires more frequent dental cleanings to manage. Without proper care, it can lead to severe dental issues, including tooth loss​.

Smoking can mask the symptoms of dental problems, delaying diagnosis and treatment. As a result, gum disease can progress unnoticed until it is too late to save the affected teeth​.

Bad Breath/ Halitosis

Halitosis, or bad breath, is another unpleasant consequence of smoking. The habit dries your mouth, creating an environment where bacteria can thrive. These bacteria produce volatile sulfur compounds, which are responsible for the foul odor associated with bad breath. Each time you smoke, you introduce new chemicals into your mouth, further contributing to this bacterial overgrowth and the persistent bad breath that follows.

Additionally, smoking affects your sense of taste and smell, making it harder for you to notice the odor yourself. This means you might not realize how severe your halitosis is until someone else points it out.

Consult A Dentist Near Me

Each cigarette puff you take exposes your mouth to harmful chemicals that damage your teeth and gums, leading to long-term detrimental effects. Smoking affects your oral health, for example, causing dental staining but also more severe issues such as tooth decay, periodontal disease, and even oral cancer.

If you are a smoker, regular dental check-ups are essential. A reputable dentist can give you personalized advice and treatment plans to mitigate the damage from smoking. They can help you manage plaque buildup, monitor your gums for signs of disease, and offer professional cleaning to remove tartar that home care cannot eliminate.

Beach Dental Care Anaheim offers several dental services from preventive care to advanced restorative treatments. These are all designed to keep your smile healthy and teeth strong. Call our dental clinic at 714-995-4000 to book your appointment.