Smoking, Your Teeth & Stoptober

Posted by Crown House Dental on 7th August 2017

Plan ahead to quit!

You might be thinking 'why on earth is my Egham dentist talking about an event in October when it's still summer?!'. Of course we're not willing these lovely warm days away, but we do want you to start thinking about Stoptober in relation to your health.

If you haven't already heard about it, Stoptober is an event ron by the government to help people quit smoking for a whole month, as if you manage to quit for 28 days your chances of quitting for good are greatly increased.

We all know the risks of smoking, but if you do currently smoke, it could be worth reminding yourself of the reasons that quitting is a good idea this year. Ex-smokers who have successfully quit will know that planning to quit well ahead of the intended quit date is really important. It enables you to put all the measures in place you need in order to quit. So although October seems so far away now, it actually means that you have a good couple of months to prepare for it, if you start thinking about a suitable date now.

When you're a smoker, planning to quit quickly isn't a successful tactic because it makes you panic, you don't have time to prepare for things like parties and events that will be a struggle, and you might quit at a very tempting time such as when you're going on holiday or to a festival.

So, with all this in mind, (and now you can trust us that we aren't wishing the summer away!), let's look at plenty of oral health reasons for you to consider planning to take part in Stoptober:

Smelly Breath

Smokers have stale smoky breath that they often can't detect because smoking has an effect on the taste and smell senses.

Gum Disease

Smokers are more likely to get gum disease because of chemical changes that occur in the mouth when you smoke.

Oral Cancer

Smoking is a leading cause of oral cancer, as well as many other cancers. According to Cancer Research UK, smoking accounts for 65% of oral cancer cases and is the leading avoidable risk factor for oral cancer.

Stained Teeth

The chemicals in cigarettes stain the teeth which isn't something most people want. The stains can be removed with professional whitening but only come back again with continued smoking.

Dental Implant Issues

If you lose teeth as a smoker you are less likely to be able to have dental implants as your jawbone and the tissues and gums supporting your teeth are likely to be weaker. The implants also have to bond with the jawbone and this type of healing is less likely to be successful as a smoker. In fact, healing is delayed in general when you are smoker, so any injury or treatment may not heal as successfully as it could.

So now that you have plenty more reasons to quit smoking, on top of the many you likely already know about in terms of your overall health and lifestyle, why not consider Stoptober? Here at your Egham dentist we really do want you to be as healthy and happy as possible, and we will do whatever we can to support the cause for quitting a habit that has many negative effects on oral health.

For more support please visit:

NHS Stop Smoking Support

Cancer Research How To Quit Smoking

Your GP - They will be happy to point you in the direction of the local quit smoking services

Your Chemist - Your chemist will have information on stop smoking services local to you

Good luck!

Blog Home
Book Appointment

Archives

Categories

Find....

Your Family Dentist in Egham, Surrey

homeenvelopephonemap-markerchevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram