Please Consider Your Oral Health....

Lots of people have been quitting smoking over the last ten years as more and more studies show exactly how bad it is for you.

Shocking statistics have encouraged many to give up those unhealthy little sticks in favour of a smoke free life. However, for some, something else has replaced cigarettes. Not patches or nicotine spray, but instead something completely new; vaping.

What Is It?

Vaping is where a person inhales vapour created by a heating element heating something called e-liquid which is made from either vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol or a mixture of both, plus flavourings and sometimes nicotine.

Is It Safe?

Nobody knows yet if vaping is safe or if it is harmful. Studies are still being done and hopefully in the future science will prove exactly how healthy it is compared to smoking. Here at your Egham dentist we're not here to say whether it is safe or not or whether or not anybody should or shouldn't do it. What we are here to do though, is explore how vaping could affect your oral health.

Pros

When we say pros about vaping, we simply mean instead of smoking. What we do know is that vaping means a person inhales a lot fewer chemicals than they do when smoking cigarettes. The chemicals in cigarettes can cause cells to mutate and become something nasty, like cancer. Vaping means the mouth is exposed to a lot less of those chemicals. Another pro is that there is no tar in e-liquid which means no staining. The lack of smoke also means there are no smelly clothes and there is no smelly breath.

Cons

In relation to oral health, other than the metal nib of the vaping pipe possibly chipping a tooth on rare occasions, there is currently only one downside we know of and that is that vaping creates an increased risk of gum disease. To be specific, vaping with nicotine e-liquid causes an increased risk of gum disease. This is because nicotine has an effect on the blood vessels causing them to contract which reduces blood flow. When you vape nicotine vapour, blood flow is temporarily reduced to the mouth. This does not cause gum disease directly but rather it makes it harder to detect. This is because a key symptom of gum disease is bleeding of the gums which may not occur, because the blood flow is restricted due to nicotine consumption.

Is Vaping Better Than Smoking When It Comes To Oral Health?

We know an increasing amount of our customers vape. We are always keeping on top of the latest medical information about vaping so patients can benefit from the updates.

As it stands, scientifically nobody knows the facts about vaping yet. Some might say that the information we currently do know suggests vaping is definitely better than smoking when it comes to oral health, particularly as a quit-smoking aid. However, there may be downsides that we still don't know about. So if you can, it's probably best to steer clear of smoking and vaping!

What we do know is if you are smoking or vaping then you should make sure you visit your Egham dentist regularly so that any potential issues with your oral health are picked up properly and treated or managed quickly and effectively. Please call us on 01784432641 and we will be more than happy to make you an appointment. We're always happy to help you keep your smile looking and feeling fantastic!