Vaping is in general a much healthier option than smoking, but it still poses risks for your oral health. From receding gums to tooth decay, vaping has many negative effects on teeth. Here are a few things to consider before reaching for your vape pen.
Tooth Decay
Cigarettes are notorious for causing tooth decay, but vape users shouldn’t assume their habit is without risks. Vaping causes dry mouth, which allows bacteria to thrive. These bacteria produce acidic waste products that eat away at tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay. To avoid ending up with cavities, vapers should sip water throughout the day to keep their oral tissues moist.
Gum Health
Most vapers use flavors that contain nicotine, which poses a risk to gum health. Nicotine causes blood vessels to contract, reducing blood flow to the gums. As a result, the gums gradually recede away from the teeth, changing the appearance of the smile and increasing the risk of tooth loss. The lack of blood flow also reduces the body’s natural ability to fight against bacteria, which increases the risk of developing an oral infection.
Bad Breath
Although using a vape doesn’t cause the awful smoky smell left behind by cigarettes, it can still lead to bad breath. By creating an environment inside the mouth that encourages the growth of harmful bacteria, using a vape contributes to bad breath in spite of the delicious flavors of some vape juices. To an extent, vapers can tackle bad breath by cleaning and flossing their teeth regularly to remove the bacteria. However, the best way to tackle the problem at source is to stop vaping.
Oral Cancer
Many brands of vape juice contain formaldehyde, which is a chemical that causes cancer. Repeatedly exposing the mouth to formaldehyde can result in the lining of the mouth developing precancerous growths. Switching from smoking to vaping could still be a healthy choice, as tobacco contains a huge range of cancer-causing chemicals, but don’t assume that vaping is completely safe. It still poses a risk of oral cancer. If you spot any of the signs of oral cancer, including mouth sores that don’t heal, or red or white patches in the mouth, see your dentist for a check up as soon as possible.
