Smoking has an adverse effect on human health as proven by numerous studies. The advent of e-cigarette has ushered several people into vaping, as a means of escaping the dangers of smoking, on the other hand, teens who have never smoked a cigarette in their young lives, are flocking to vaping because it’s ‘cool’. But the sad reality is that vaping might turn out to be as harmful as smoking tobacco, however, until the 10-year data is released it’s like playing Russian roulette. Recent research has suggested that vaping can have a copious negative effect on your teeth and gums. Vaping could turn out to be worse than actually smoking cigarettes.
What is Vaping?
Vaping, also referred to as e-cigarette involves heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale. The liquid is typically glycerin, flavoring, nicotine, water, and propylene glycol. This practice is now common mostly for users who feel they want to quit tobacco to a better alternative way of smoking without health dangers. Could this be true? Of course, not! As mentioned earlier, new studies have pointed out the effect of vaping on the gums.
One study has clearly reported that whether nicotine is taken through a traditional cigarette or other means, it’ still harmful to the gums, as well as the tongue and the whole mouth. So, if you vape, you might likely be a victim of the following gum diseases:
Gum Recession
Nicotine is a major constituent of e-cigarette, which is known for causing gum recession. Nicotine is vasoconstrictor – it has the capabilities of reducing blood that flows through one’s veins. Without the sufficient flow of blood, the gums don’t get the required oxygen to remain healthy. This results in the death of the gum tissues.
Bad Breath
As a vasoconstrictor that reduces blood flow through the veins, nicotine ingested via vaping hinders the ability of your body to produce saliva. Insufficient saliva can cause you to be vulnerable to bacteria accumulation, tooth decay, and dry mouth, which results in constant bad breath.
Intensifies Grinding
If you’re already a grinder, nicotine can worsen it and can lead you to start grinding your teeth if you were not a grinder before. Nicotine is a stimulant that energizes the muscles, thereby making your teeth grind extremely.
Inflamed Gums
Nicotine ingested through vaping also triggers an inflammatory response in gum tissues as suggested by a 2016 study. Persistent gum inflammation is linked to several periodontal diseases.
Other possible gums diseases caused by vaping include;
- Red, irritated, or bleeding gums
- Tender or swollen gums
- Wiggly teeth or loss of teeth
Vaping in the news
Amid growing concern over a mysterious outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses and deaths, as well as a persistent epidemic of youth use, states are stepping in to limit access to e-cigarette products, some states have taken matters into their own hands, not willing to wait for the FDA to intervene. The liquid mixture of nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals have recently shown to produced liquid in the lungs causing fatal damage. Vaping flavors such as cherry pie, watermelon crush or cotton candy entice young users to vaping. A recent Time Magazine article listed multiple states banning vaping, question is, will the ban remain?
Wrap Up
If you’re currently vaping or looking to start vaping, be ready to watch out for the signs of gum diseases. But how can you possibly watch out for the signs of gum diseases since nicotine is known to mask gum diseases until they are full-blown? They are cases where reports from the dentist show that your gum health is improving, whereas, nicotine has successfully concealed the symptoms from being diagnosed. This is a dangerous situation and therefore requires that you and your dentist be extra vigilant in gum diseases prevention.
To be on the safe side, you should visit your dentist regularly for checkups. And your dentist must be extra vigilant to ensure the best preventive measures are put in place. The best and most reliable option, which could, however, be challenging to stick with, is to eliminate nicotine. That means saying goodbye to vaping! It’s sure not good for your health.