Will Vaping Hurt My Teeth?

A new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association suggests that vaping may make an individual more likely to form cavities. This is because many e-cigarettes contain added sweeteners, and sugar notoriously harms your teeth.

Research on the effects of vaping is still developing, but they appear prominent, especially in younger individuals that tend to use these products frequently. Understanding the dangers that e-cigarettes can carry when it comes to the look and feel of their smiles may encourage dental patients to re-evaluate this habit. Read on to find details about the significant impact that vaping can have on your oral health.

Sugar Erodes Dental Structure

You might have heard the famous refrain that dentists discourage the consumption of sugar. This is because sugar becomes acidic when it reacts with your saliva. And the resulting acid will eat away at your tooth enamel, creating vulnerable spots in your teeth where bacteria can form cavities.

Once gone, enamel does not reform, so you will need intervention from your dentist to restore your dental structure after sugar erosion. A dentist will treat a cavity with a dental filling, but you should preserve your natural smile for as long as you can.

To steer clear of these dental problems, you should limit sugary and acidic foods in your diet. But this advice extends to the usage of e-cigarettes, known for their sugary additives. The residues from this device will cling to your teeth and erode them, so avoid or limit this habit.

Other Oral Health Effects of Vaping

The sugar within many types of e-cigarettes can hurt your teeth. But vaping will have other negative effects on your smile too. For instance, many people might already know that nicotine from tobacco can seriously harm your smile. Some e-cigarettes claim to be tobacco-free but still feature trace amounts of nicotine that will then affect your health.

Nicotine exacerbates inflammation throughout your body, triggering the inflammatory response, a reaction in which the body works to repair damaged cells. This will result in widespread swelling and other irritations, including existing dental concerns like gum disease. This infection of gum tissue can see worse symptoms as result, like heightened bleeding and soreness in the gums.

About half of American adults suffer from gum disease, so this concern is widely relevant. Research concerning vaping is still a work in progress, so these effects are not entirely conclusive yet.

Preventative Dentistry Tips

Your dentist will recommend stopping or limiting your vaping habit to best protect your dental health. Ceasing the use of e-cigarettes can reduce your risk of cavities, gum disease, and many other dental dangers.

To keep your smile healthy enough to resist the worst effects of vaping, you should practice good oral hygiene. This regimen will clean residues from your teeth, including the sugary film from e-cigarettes. Removing harmful particles in a timely fashion will give the acids less time to erode your dental structure.