Smoking decreases the defenses of the gums and masks the symptoms of periodontal disease, among other dangers. The damage that tobacco causes to oral health goes beyond stains on teeth and bad breath (halitosis).<\/p>\n
Its worst consequences are silent and invisible.<\/p>\n
For this reason, at Cl\u00ednica Cervera we are taking advantage of the fact that today is World No Tobacco Day to list five of the dangers that cigarette smoke poses to the health of our mouths.
\n##NUM##1.<\/p>\n
It is the main cause of oral cancer.<\/p>\n
Tobacco smoke contains around 4,000 toxic substances, including tar and nicotine.<\/p>\n
If we also combine it with alcohol, which makes the mucous membranes even more permeable, the risk of suffering from oral cancer increases considerably.<\/p>\n
And although the incidence of this type of cancer in the population is not high (8 per 100,000 inhabitants), it has a high number of deaths because it is usually diagnosed in advanced stages.
\n##NUM##2.<\/p>\n
It decreases the defenses of the gums.<\/p>\n
Smokers have higher levels of pathogenic bacteria in the periodontium (tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth) and have a decrease in the gum’s defenses against bacterial attack, which is related to a significant increase in the susceptibility to suffering an infection in the gums, which receive a lower blood and oxygen supply.<\/p>\n
This justifies the fact that these harmful bacteria cause greater destruction of the set of elements that hold the teeth.
\n##NUM##3.<\/p>\n
It multiplies the risk of suffering from periodontitis by three.<\/p>\n
As a result of the previous point, smokers are three times more likely to suffer from periodontitis (gum disease) than people who do not smoke.
\n##NUM##4.<\/p>\n
It masks the symptoms of periodontal disease.<\/p>\n
A smoker’s gums may appear healthy at first glance despite being diseased because one of the main warning signs that leads many people to consult their dentist is less frequent and evident in smokers: bleeding gums.<\/p>\n
As a result, diagnosis may be further delayed, and therefore, the start of treatment.
\n##NUM##5.<\/p>\n
Worse response to periodontal treatment.<\/p>\n
Tobacco makes the response to basic periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing) and advanced (periodontal surgery) much worse.<\/p>\n
According to the Spanish Society of Periodontics and Osseointegration (SEPA), the improvement in some clinical aspects is up to 50% less.<\/p>\n
In fact, most patients who do not respond adequately to periodontal treatments are smokers (86-90%).<\/p>\n
The response to more specific periodontal treatments also decreases considerably among smokers: the results of mucogingival surgery worsen by 25%; the response rate in regenerative treatments is reduced by almost half; and the failure rate of dental implants doubles due to the greater difficulties for the implant to bond to the bone.<\/p>\n
But it’s not all bad news on this World No Tobacco Day.<\/p>\n
The oral health risks to which smokers are exposed can disappear if this addiction is put to an end.<\/p>\n
And gum health can be restored with a combination of periodontal treatment, daily oral hygiene, and regular check-ups with the dentist.<\/p>\n
It’s time to stretch your willpower… Cheers!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categoria":[67],"class_list":["post-2834","actualitat","type-actualitat","status-publish","hentry","categoria-salut-bucodental"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualitat\/2834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualitat"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/actualitat"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinicacervera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria?post=2834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}