How Tobacco Impacts Your Teeth

You know about the link between smoking and lung disease, but tobacco in all its forms can do a number on your teeth, too. Here’s what you're doing to your teeth if you smoke, chew, or vape.

Tobacco leads to all kinds of health problems. If you smoke, you’re at high risk for coronary heart disease, blood clots, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, and death.

And tobacco also harms your teeth.

We see these effects daily at Los Gatos Dental. Tobacco can ruin your teeth and overall oral health over time. That’s why Dr. Tyler Young explains the dental consequences of tobacco use and discusses your options for restoring your oral health.

How tobacco affects your teeth

Staining is the most obvious way smoking affects your teeth. Tobacco contains tar and nicotine that penetrates the porous enamel on your teeth and discolors them. Specifically, tar causes your teeth to turn brown, and nicotine, when it mixes with oxygen, causes yellowing.

Beyond aesthetics, tobacco creates health problems for your teeth. Smokers have more plaque and tartar buildup on their teeth, which leads to more cavities and tooth decay.

How tobacco affects your oral health

Your teeth are only part of the problem; tobacco wreaks havoc throughout your mouth. Here’s a list of the dental issues you likely encounter when using tobacco.

Bad breath

When tar and nicotine coat the inside of your mouth, the scent lingers long after you finish smoking. Although you may have developed a tolerance for it and no longer notice it, others smell your breath easily and may keep their distance to avoid the stench.

The harmful chemicals in tobacco also dry out your mouth, and dry mouth is a common cause of bad breath.

Gum disease

Tobacco interferes with the cells in your gum tissues and makes them vulnerable to infections. It also softens your gums and leads to detachment from your teeth, leaving you susceptible to tooth loss.

Almost 43% of American adults have tobacco-related periodontal disease and are twice as likely as nonsmokers to suffer from gum disease.

Oral surgery complications

Smoking constricts your blood vessels which restricts your blood flow, causing a chain reaction of negative effects on your oral health, making you a poor candidate for oral surgeries and other procedures. For example, smoking can lead to:

Bone loss
Jaw atrophy
Delayed healing
Disqualification for dental implants

Smoking damages the tissues in your mouth and may force you to delay necessary procedures.

Cancer

Lung cancer is the most notorious cancer associated with smoking, but mouth and throat cancer are equally threatening. You increase your chances of developing oral cancer by ten times if you smoke.

Smokeless tobacco and vaping are just as bad

Chewing tobacco, dip, snuff — call it whatever you want; it’s just as bad for your teeth and oral health as smoking. Smokeless tobacco leads to gum disease, receding gums, tooth loss, and tooth discoloration, and it has all the same effects on your health as smoking.

Vaping doesn’t contain tobacco, but it does contain chemicals that can cause:

Dry mouth
Gum inflammation
Bacteria buildup
Tissue irritation
Cell death

Quitting tobacco, smoking, chewing, and vaping improves your dental health almost immediately.

If tooth discoloration is your main complaint, we can help by supporting your daily dental hygiene routine and supplementing with twice-yearly deep cleanings. For stubborn stains and yellowing, consider our professional teeth whitening treatment here in our office or the comfort of your home.