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Smoking is dangerous to
your oral health
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Smoking
can contribute to gum disease
Tobacco and
smoking reduce the body's
ability to fight infection
and slows the healing process
of damaged gum tissue.
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Dental
researchers have long known that people
who use tobacco products are more likely
to have their tooth enamel and pulp cavity
worn down. Only recently have they found
a reason why.
Abrasive particles in
tobacco can damage teeth
Researchers at Baylor
University's College of Dentistry recently
examined samples of cigars, chewing tobacco,
snuff and unprocessed tobacco leaves used
as cigar wrappers. They found that tobacco
products, like many plants, contain tiny
particles that are abrasive to teeth.
When mixed with saliva and chewed, an
abrasive paste is created that wears down
teeth over time. Although the particles
are too small to be detected, the effect
is similar to rubbing your teeth with
fine sandpaper.
The researchers also noted
that people who habitually chew foreign
materials such as pens or pencils, eat
coarse diets or are repeatedly exposed
to air that contains high levels of abrasive
dust may also experience a wearing away
of the tooth enamel and pulp cavity.
Tobacco use has other
detrimental effects: bad breath, periodontal
disease, oral cancer and increased incidence
of cleft lip and palate among children
of mothers who smoke during pregnancy.
Smoking during pregnancy
can lead to oral clefts
According to a study conducted
at Johns Hopkins University, women who
smoke may be more likely to have children
born with an oral cleft.
Cleft lips or palates,
one of the most common birth defects,
occur during early fetal development,
often before a woman knows she's pregnant.
Women who smoke can trigger the gene that
causes the birth defect. According to
the study, children who carried the gene
responsible for the defect who had smoking
mothers were six times more likely to
develop a cleft than children in the control
group.
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