1, there are many people believe that the first danger of smoking for the teeth is to make the teeth yellow. But many people will think that yellow teeth is not a big problem, through brushing or scaling can solve the problem of yellow teeth. What causes yellowing teeth? What is the solution to the yellowing of teeth caused by smoking?
There are several types of yellowing teeth: physiological yellowing is a mild color change that occurs gradually with age and long-term use of the teeth, just as the skin grows darker with age than which is unavoidable. This kind of yellowing should not be too concerned, but can also be enhanced aesthetically by whitening the teeth. Exogenous yellow teeth refers to the pigment attached to the teeth, mostly the pigment of tobacco tartar, drinks, coffee, tea, etc. attached to the teeth, making the teeth appear yellowish gray. The difference between endogenous and exogenous yellow teeth is that the pigment is not on the surface of the teeth but in the tissues of the teeth, the most typical ones are the well-known fluorosis and tetracycline teeth. (Living in areas with high fluoride content in drinking water before the age of 7, the pigment is retained in the tooth enamel – fluorosis; taking tetracycline before the age of 8, the tetracycline molecule combines with calcium – tetracycline teeth). Congenital yellowing is the result of genetics, tooth development (underdeveloped enamel, etc.), etc. Smoking is the most important factor causing exogenous yellow teeth, which can be removed by scaling and cold light bleaching. Endogenous as well as congenital yellowing can be corrected by some overlay whitening techniques.
2, smokers have a smell of smoke when they open their mouth, some people consider it a bad breath problem, the smell of smoke in the mouth and bad breath is the same thing? Why is there bad breath?
Bad breath (halitosis) is a symptom that is reflected in many diseases. The causes of bad breath are related to a variety of diseases, but the most common cause is oral health conditions. Anaerobic bacteria in the mouth rely on proteins in food waste and shed tissues in the mouth to survive and thrive, while releasing foul odors, mainly hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan. Smoke in the mouth caused by smoking is not exactly the same as halitosis, but smoking will undoubtedly aggravate the already existing bad breath. Tobacco products are inhaled and present in the gingival sulcus, which may alter the subgingival flora and produce a specific odor of oral odor. Studies have shown [ 4 ] that heavy smoking, especially cigar smoking, not only exhales the unpleasant odor of tobacco, but also promotes the formation of a hairy tongue, which allows the retention of food residues and releases the odor of tobacco, and reduces salivary secretion, exacerbating bad breath.
Yellow teeth, bad breath means that the normal physiological environment of the human oral cavity as well as by long-term smoking changes, and this change as well as beyond the scope of the body can compensate, if you continue to ignore this signal, these small changes may gradually accumulate qualitative changes called big changes, and eventually lead to disease.
3.It is said that people who smoke have a higher chance of suffering from oral cancer? What kind of cancer is oral cancer? What are the signs and symptoms?
Oral cancer is a common oral mucosal epithelial tumor, accounting for about the tenth place of malignant tumors in the whole body. It includes tongue cancer, gum cancer, cheek cancer, palate cancer and so on. The incidence rate in China is about between 3.6/100,000 and 8.0/100,000. Smoking and drinking are the main risk factors of oral cancer. In the United States, 75% of oral cancers are related to this, and a domestic study found that 88% of male oral cancer patients had a clear history of smoking. Heavy smokers are about 20 times more likely to develop oral and laryngeal cancer than normal people. Smoking can reduce the body’s intake of carotenoids, vitamin C and vitamin E, and dietary fiber, causing the level of reactive oxygen clusters or free radicals in the body, thus reducing the concentration of antioxidants in the plasma, leading to oxidative stress and increasing DNA damage, which can transform normal cells to malignant. Oral cancer is easier to metastasize than other parts of the body, and it is easy to cause disfigurement after surgery, which makes the patient psychologically burdened and mentally distressed.
Warning signs of oral cancer: ① Ulcers in the mouth that have not healed for more than 2 weeks. ②White, red and darkened spots on oral mucosa. ③Unusual swelling and enlarged lymph nodes in the mouth and neck. ④There is repeated unexplained bleeding in the mouth. ⑤ Unexplained numbness and pain in the face, mouth, pharynx and neck. Those who have the above conditions should go to the hospital for systematic examination in time.
4.Survey shows that among smokers, the prevalence of leukoplakia is 25.25% for men and 19.49% for women, while among non-smokers, the prevalence of leukoplakia is 3.5% for men and 1.38% for women, what kind of disease is this oral mucosa leukoplakia? Why is the percentage of smokers with this disease higher?
Oral mucosal leukoplakia, referred to as oral leukoplakia, is a white plaque-like lesion occurring in the oral mucosa, which is a precancerous lesion (the possibility of cancer is about 3-5%). It occurs on the cheek, lips and tongue, followed by the palate, gums and floor of the mouth. It is ignored by patients because there is no conscious symptom in early stage. Smoking is the direct causative factor of oral mucosal leukoplakia. Because tobacco contains phenols, aldehydes, organic acids and other substances. Long-term smoking, the toxic substances in tobacco can stimulate the oral mucosa, directly attack the oral mucosa epithelial cells, causing them to change, and the high temperature when smoking can make the oral mucosa contact part burn. The risk of white spots is significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers. The risk of leukoplakia is significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers. It is related to the way of smoking, the duration of smoking and the amount of smoking.
The signs of malignant white spots are: sudden and rapid increase in thickness, surrounding congestion, redness, bleeding, pain, and the formation of hard nodules or crater-like (crater-like) ulcers at the base.
5.Some people think that smoking will have the effect of killing the toxin for oral diseases. Is this statement correct?
This statement is not scientific. Non-smokers have a large number of Neisseria bacteria in the tongue and constipation, smokers of the oral mucosa tends to be anoxic, aerobic Neisseria bacteria are not easy to reproduce, from this aspect of smoking can indeed be consistent with the reproduction of these bacteria, but this anoxic state at the same time will breed anaerobic bacteria, so the smoker’s mouth there are a large number of specific anaerobic bacteria, such as Fan Yong’s bacteria, such as bacilli, and bad breath is often caused by the reproduction of anaerobic bacteria. The bad breath is often caused by the multiplication of anaerobic bacteria. It seems that smoking has a selective antibacterial effect on aerobic bacteria such as Neisseria spp. The reduction of redox potential and hypoxia in the mouth caused by smoking may be conducive to the establishment of more pathogenic plaque microorganisms, but so far no special bacteria and smoking-related, this aspect of the study to be sub-depth.
6. Periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases of the oral cavity, and this disease seems to favor smokers as well? Are there any data on this?
Smoking is a high risk factor for periodontal disease, especially for severe periodontitis, and smokers have a higher prevalence of periodontitis than non-smokers, with higher rates of tooth loss and edentulism. A study of a random sample of 35-, 50-, 65-, and 75-year-olds showed that the number of tooth loss in smokers was 0.6, 1.5, 3.5, and 5.8 times higher than in nonsmokers in the four age groups, respectively.
The number of tooth loss in smokers was 0.6, 1.5, 3.5, and 5.8 times higher than that in nonsmokers in the four age groups. Since smoking increases the risk of attachment loss and bone resorption, and increases the destruction of periodontal tissue, smoking status is often used as a key indicator to assess the risk of periodontitis in individuals.
7. Is periodontal disease caused by smoking the most common dental problem among smokers? What are the symptoms? Can this periodontal condition be stopped in time by reducing the amount of smoking or by quitting?
Periodontal disease is a disease that occurs in the supporting tissues of the teeth (periodontal tissues), including gum disease that involves only the gum tissues and periodontitis that affects the deeper periodontal tissues (periodontal membrane, alveolar bone, and dental bone). Periodontal disease is a common oral disease, one of the main causes of tooth loss in adults, and a major oral disease that endangers human dental and systemic health. Early symptoms of periodontal disease are not easy to attract attention, resulting in long-term chronic infection of periodontal tissues and recurrent inflammation, which not only impairs the function of the oral chewing system, but also seriously affects health.
The main clinical manifestations are gum inflammation, bleeding, periodontal pocket formation, alveolar bone resorption, alveolar bone height reduction, tooth loosening, displacement, chewing weakness, and in severe cases, teeth may fall out by themselves or lead to tooth extraction. There may be complications such as pain, pus spillage, bad breath, periodontal abscess, and loose teeth.
For periodontal disease caused by smoking, removing the cause is very important for the treatment and prevention of the disease. However, because the causes of periodontal disease include not only smoking, but also oral hygiene, immune factors, certain systemic diseases and toxic side effects of medications, not all periodontal diseases are effective in quitting smoking. Therefore, if you suspect that you have periodontal disease, you must go to the hospital in a timely manner, careful examination, standardized treatment, smoking people must insist on quitting smoking, good oral cleaning care.
8, some people say: old smoking gun teeth can not be filled up, smoking will make teeth fall out. Smoking will make teeth fall out easily?
Tooth loss is mostly caused by periodontal disease, and smoking is a major factor in triggering periodontal disease. Long-term smoking, not brushing regularly, and poor oral hygiene lead to bacterial growth and expand the damage to the teeth, which can aggravate periodontal disease. The nicotine of tobacco products will also cause vasoconstriction, reduce resistance and repair power, triggering the crisis of tooth loss.
9, diabetes oral disease and smoking is closely related?
Smoking itself and diabetes can harm periodontal tissue, and further increase the incidence of periodontal disease, and smoking itself is one of the causes of the onset of diabetes, the three interact with each other. The harmful substances in tobacco can adversely affect the local periodontal tissues and blood circulation, creating chronic inflammation of the gums. Diabetes, on the other hand, can cause microcirculation disorders in periodontal tissues, preventing the absorption of oxygen and nutrients and reducing the efficiency of tooth tissue repair and regeneration. Both smoking and diabetes can lead to increased bone resorption, affecting the degree of hardness and causing loss of alveolar bone volume. All of the above factors make the chance of losing teeth greatly increased in diabetic patients.
10.I heard that smoking can also cause harm to the newborn baby’s teeth? Does this harm stem from the pregnant woman being a smoker or from the father-to-be being a smoker?
Because nicotine toxicity can cause congenital cleft lip (i.e., harelip) malformation due to lack of oxygen to the fetus, and lack of oxygen to the baby due to passive smoking can also cause the baby’s jaws and teeth to develop poorly, resulting in malocclusion, small teeth, dark color, misalignment and other consequences, so for the health of the next generation young parents should stop smoking.
Pregnant women have a greater impact on the health of their newborns. If a pregnant woman smokes during pregnancy, the toxic substances in her blood can directly affect the development of the fetus. The lack of oxygen caused by smoking can also have a significant impact on the development of the fetus. After the child is born, whether the father or mother smoking will lead to passive smoking, resulting in the baby’s respiratory system, skeletal system and other developmental disorders.
11.Some people say that they do not smoke through the respiratory tract, that is, through the oral cavity, and do not breathe in the smoke, so they do not produce some respiratory diseases, is this true? Is this method more harmful to the oral cavity?
As long as there is smoke around, we will definitely inhale it, and there is no way for us not to breathe, so it will stimulate and damage the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of the body. Whether this method of smoking will cause greater harm to the oral cavity has not been studied.
12.If there are some oral (dental) problems, can these dental (oral) problems be relieved quickly after quitting smoking?
After quitting smoking, the symptoms of bad breath can be significantly improved, but most oral problems cannot be relieved immediately after quitting smoking, and may even be aggravated. For example, periodontal disease and white spots on the mucous membranes require a long period of time for the body to adapt and for the necessary treatment to be given. For example, many smokers find that they have recurrent mouth ulcers after quitting. So quit smoking must be persistent, timely short-term body no big improvement must also be persistent.
13, smoking second-hand smoke will bring harm to the mouth (teeth)?
U.S. researchers in the April issue of the Journal of Periodontology this year, claimed that the results of animal experiments show that “secondhand smoke” is also harmful to oral health, may lead to periodontitis patients with dental bone loss. “Secondhand smoke” is also known as environmental tobacco smoke. “Secondhand smoke” includes both mainstream smoke exhaled by smokers and sidestream smoke that comes directly from paper cigars or pipes. In the experiment, the researchers first induced periodontal disease in the lab rats. After that, the first group was placed in a smoke-free environment, the second group was placed in a “second-hand smoke” environment from light cigarettes for 30 days, and the third group was placed in a “second-hand smoke” environment from strong cigarettes for 30 days. Cigarette smoke was differentiated by the level of several major harmful components such as tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. It was found that the rats were more likely to experience dental bone loss than the control group in a smoke-free environment as long as they lived in a “second-hand smoke” environment, regardless of the type of smoke. The researchers explained that bone loss is the first major cause of tooth loss in patients with periodontitis.
The researchers note that there is previous evidence of a correlation between smoking and gum disease, and their study reveals that “secondhand smoke” also has an impact on oral health. The study brings to light that “secondhand smoke” is also very destructive. “One of the ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to stay away from smoke-filled places.