Happy New Year! We have welcome 2019 with a busy week back at Jamestown Dental. Along with this we are kick starting our blog up again for the year.
A common New Year’s resolution for many of our patients is to stop smoking. To help you with this resolution, we wanted to share with you what can happen to your teeth and mouth if you smoke.
We all know smoking has a negative impact on our health but what does it do to your mouth?
Smoking reduces blood flow to your gums which can impair healing in your mouth and hides the amount of gum disease that may be present as it masks signs such as bleeding gums. Gum disease is much more common in smokers and can lead to loose and wobbly teeth as well as loss of teeth.
Smoking also significantly increases your risk of oral cancer. Oral cancer often starts as a painless ulcer that doesn’t heal in your mouth. At Jamestown Dental we routinely check your full mouth including your tongue for signs of oral cancer during your regular check up. Oral cancer is very important to diagnose early as only half of people diagnosed with oral cancer will be alive five years later.
Hopefully this just add to the many reasons to make a change this year and quit smoking.
If you are interested in quitting smoking it is a good idea to talk to your doctor or call Quitline 137848 www.quit.org.au
