While it may not be a particularly pleasant thought to consider, tobacco represents the single biggest cause of preventable death and disease in the United Kingdom. It is a purely optional and expensive habit that claims millions of lives each and every year on a global basis. This, despite the fact that the entire world now fully understands the true dangers of smoking. Not to mention, the fact that it has absolutely no beneficial properties as far as human health is concerned whatsoever.
Nevertheless, tens of millions of people continue to smoke tobacco and will no doubt continue to do so regardless.
Along with doctors, a growing number of dentists and dental health professionals are vigorously encouraging their patients to stop smoking. Along with the more obvious and commonly known health implications of tobacco consumption, there are various dental health problems that have been attributed to tobacco use. Of which the most obvious of all are discoloration of the teeth and bad breath. Nevertheless, on-going studies have drawn direct links between tobacco smoke and an elevated risk of oral cancer, bone deterioration and gum disease. The more the respective individual smokes and the longer their history of tobacco use, the higher the likelihood of these and various other serious health complaints.
There isn’t a healthcare professional in the world that wouldn’t actively encourage any smoker to immediately and permanently kick the habit for life. By what is it specifically that is motivating a greater number of dentists than ever before to tell their patients that now really is the time to quit smoking and quit for good?
- First of all, research has shown that gum disease risk increases an incredible 200% with tobacco use. If you smoke cigarettes or tobacco in any other form, you are quite literally twice as likely to develop gum disease as a non-smoker. Not only this, but the gum disease you develop is also twice as likely to progress and become severe.
- Interestingly, smoking has also been found to have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the treatment of gum disease, when and where identified. In instances where a smoker begins developing gum disease and starts the required course of treatment, the likelihood of the treatment proving effective is exponentially lower than in those who do not smoke.
- Given the fact that gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss among adults of all ages, avoiding it at all costs is something of a no-brainer. Likewise, gum disease has been linked with a wide variety of complications during pregnancy, along with other serious health conditions including arthritis, diabetes, stroke and heart attack.
- One of the most tragic statistics of all, approximately 75% of cases of throat, tongue, lip and mouth cancers occur in those who smoke tobacco. Which would seem to suggest that the overwhelming majority of cases of such diseases are entirely preventable.
- As already mentioned, the effects tobacco smoke has on both the colour of the teeth and breath freshness in general can be nothing short of devastating.
The Good News?
On the plus side, scientific research has found that when an individual quits smoking entirely and does not start again, many of the harmful effects can actually be reversed. While the likelihood of developing all manner of serious diseases and health complaints while smoking tobacco is elevated exponentially, things have a tendency to return back to normal in the weeks and months that follow quitting. Of course, there are certain things like yellowing of the teeth that may require focused attention to deal with, but even in the case of the heaviest smokers where damage is somewhat advanced, there are always various ways and means by which enormous improvements can be made.
If you have made the decision to quit smoking, good for you! But the first and most important thing you need to bear in mind is that you probably aren’t going to be in for an easy ride.
There are basically two ways of guaranteeing failure when attempting to quit smoking. One of these is to expect the process to be easy, the other is to anticipate the mother of all changes and essentially reside yourself to failure before even getting started. Instead, it’s far more sensible to be realistic about both the process and your expectations. It isn’t going to be easy and there will be challenges along the way, but this doesn’t mean you cannot and will not be 100% successful.
While most people decide to go about the process alone, research suggests that strength in numbers can make a big difference. First of all, it’s always worth speaking to your doctor or dentist ahead of time, in order to benefit from their advice and suggestions. They may be able to recommend the perfect smoking cessation tools for your needs, or give you some kind of timetable/programme to follow to increase the likelihood of your success. In addition, making the decision to quit alongside at least one other person can also make the process considerably easier and less unpleasant. When going through things with one or more other people, you always have someone who knows exactly what you are going through with whom you can share support and perhaps even a friendly sense of rivalry.
If all else fails and there’s no other option, there are even certain prescription medications available these days that have proven to be effective in many cases. Once again, advice and guidance on medication and cessation tools should be sought from a medical professional, just to ensure you take home the very best ‘tools’ for the job.
One thing’s for sure though – give it a few months and your overall health and wellbeing will thank you…including your teeth and gums!
