Park Ridge Implant Dentists Advise: Stop Smoking!

Posted by & filed under oral health, Patient Education.

stop smoking hand crushing a pack of cigarettesThese days, there’s little question about the dangers of smoking, which claims the lives of more than 440,000 people in the United States. Nevertheless, an estimated 43.8 million adults in America ages 18 and older smoke cigarettes, and the destructive habit can threaten more than your ability to breathe. Park Ridge implant dentists, Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas, explain how smoking affects your oral health, and how it can inhibit the success of your tooth replacement procedure.

Why Your Smile Hates Cigarette Smoke

Although the 600 ingredients found within a cigarette are approved by the U.S. government as safe additives for food, these ingredients are not tested for the chemicals they produce when burned. Of the over-4,000 chemicals that burning cigarette tobacco produces, more than 50 are well-known carcinogens (substances that are specifically known to cause cancer). Below are only a few of the chemicals contained within cigarette smoke, some of which you may recognize;

  • Acetone
  • Ammonium sulfide
  • Carbon monoxide and dioxide
  • Methyl sulfide
  • Arsenic
  • Cadmium
  • Formaldehyde

Smoking and the Success of Your Teeth Replacement

Aside from producing a plethora of dangerous, even cancer-causing, chemicals, tobacco and cigarette smoke can directly affect your oral health, such as increasing your risk of gum disease and tooth loss, or impeding the healing process after undergoing a tooth replacement procedure. Smoking inhibits the proper function of your body’s cells, including their ability to repair themselves when in need of healing, either from the destruction of dental disease and damage, or after a necessary dental procedure, such as tooth replacement.

Learn More About Smoking Cessation with Your Park Ridge Implant Dentists

To learn more about the dangers of smoking to your oral health, or for help to quit smoking, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with your Park Ridge implant dentists by calling Loukas General Dentistry at (847) 696-1919. Located in the 60068 area, we proudly serve patients from Park Ridge and the surrounding Chicago communities.