You Heard It From Your Dentist: How Vaping Affects Your Oral Health

There are well-known dental effects for someone who smokes cigarettes such as stained teeth and bad breath, but what is less well-known is the effect that vaping has on your oral health.

Our dentist here at Riverside Dental Care want everyone who currently vapes or those considering vaping to understand the potential consequences behind this fad because vaping can have a serious impact on your oral health.

Vaping Can Lead To Tooth Decay

One of the first impacts of vaping, with or without nicotine, is that it dries out the mouth. That may not sound like a terrible thing, but having a continually dry mouth can lead to tooth decay.

Our saliva does much to protect us, breaking down food particles, allowing good bacteria to work in our mouths and helps keep bad bacteria from building up. When the mouth is often dried out by vaping, bad bacteria can build up and cause tooth decay.

Nicotine-Infused Vaping Juice Damages Oral Health

Not only can the act of vaping lead to tooth decay, but the juice used when a person vapes can also damage oral health. Some of the effects are:

• Bad breath – As the mouth dries out and bacteria builds up due to vaping, breath begins to smell. While regular teeth brushing can help alleviate this problem, continual vaping can make the bad breath come on faster than brushing can stave off.
• Bruxism – The nicotine which can be found in many types of vaping juice can cause the muscles in the jaw to become stimulated and trigger bruxism—teeth grinding—in someone who doesn’t already experience bruxism or make it worse in someone who already experiences bruxism. One of the dental services we offer can help protect your teeth from bruxism but it without vaping, the issue may not exist at all.
• Gum recession – As nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which reduces the blood flow in the gums, this means the gums are not receiving the nutrients and oxygen that it needs. Over time, the gum tissue begins to die and recede.
• Periodontal disease – Not only can vaping leave gums vulnerable to bacteria-causing gum disease, but it can also hide the signs of gum disease from both you and our dentists. Since the blood flow is restricted, the normal signs of gum disease like swelling and bleeding gums, are not present. That means the periodontal disease can progress farther and more dangerously without an intervention.

If you are worried about your oral health, contact us for an appointment with our dentists. During your dental cleaning, our staff will look for any signs of damage due to vaping and advise you on what steps you may need to take.