It is possible to have periodontal disease and not see any of the warning
signs. Periodontal disease is the silent killer of teeth. That is why regular
check-ups are important.
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Smoking
increases our risk of periodontal disease two to seven-fold.
In addition, nicotine can cause blood vessels to
constrict, which may mask the signs that you have gum and bone
disease. You stop smoking, and the vessels dilate and bleed more! You
think that you’ve developed gum disease by stopping smoking, but
you’ve only unmasked the signs of it.
Smoking-associated periodontitis is not simply a
reflection of oral cleanliness. Smoking extends a favorable
habitat for bacteria such as P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and
A.actinomycetemcomitans to shallow sites. Molecular byproducts of
smoking interfere with mechanisms that normally contain growth of
damaging bacteria at the surface of the oral mucosa in gingival
crevices. In this way, smoking can promote early development of periodontal lesions.*
Cigar and pipe smoking
have similar adverse effects on periodontal health and tooth loss as
cigarette smoking. Smoking cessation efforts should be considered as
a means of improving periodontal health and reducing tooth loss in heavy
smokers of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes with periodontal disease.**
Smoking is
altering the immune response.
Gingivitis
Moderate Periodontitis
Advance Periodontitis
GOOD NEWS: IS THAT QUITTING SMOKING SEEMS TO GRADUALLY
ERASE THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO USE ON PERIODONTAL HEALTH!
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Smoking has not only been shown to increase the
severity of periodontal disease, but also to decrease the response of
gum tissue to periodontal therapy, resulting in a great incidence of
refractory disease.. Smoking cessation leads to improved
periodontal health and improved response to periodontal therapy thus
improving overall health.
Smoking and Periodontitis, Dr Davis, Dr. Hess Woman Dentist
Journal, Pg 19-24 February 2004
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Tobacco Quitline Information
Call
1-866-632-7848 for information, support and follow-up calls as
often as you need, anytime, day or night. Certified counselors
will develop a personalized "Quit Plan" to help you by setting
specific goals and target dates for quitting and strategies for starving
off cravings. Follow up calls are offered on a regular schedule to
provide ongoing support, advice and encouragement. There is no
limit to the number of follow up sessions or calls for support.
All information is confidential.
At our office we use the "Five
A's" strategy with ALL patients.
•
ASK patients about their tobacco habits
• ADVISE them on the importance of giving up
• AGREE with them a quit date
• ASSIST them in achieving this goal
• ARRANGE follow-up
When one stops,
you have to change their environment. they need to be away
from all of those cues that say light up. Smoking is often a social
thing -When you
are ready to stop you have to be ready to not be in
those environments because they will defeat you.
You may want to ponder this idea:
I have stopped smoking
but I have not quit. I never quit I am addicted to cigarettes
for life and similar to how I believe AAs manage their
addiction I can never allow myself to have another puff. Once
I have that puff, I believe that I will be back at it and
possibly at a higher level. Almost any smoker will tell you they
have quit a dozen times but restarted and
increased how many they smoke. I am a firm believer in thinking that
quitting is a pile of BS and just lulls one into a false sense of
control. Past smoker for 26 years.
Source: Dentistry Today 00
*
**Jasim M. Albandar, Charles F. Streckfus, Margo
R. Adesanya, and Deborah M. Winn Cigar, Pipe, and Cigarette Smoking as
Risk Factorsfor Periodontal Disease and Tooth Loss, J Periodontol
2000;71
(12):1874-1881.
The results support the hypothesis that smoking is a significant
risk factor of periodontal disease. [Jansson, Leif& Lavstedt, Stig,
Influence smoking on marginal bone loss and tooth loss - a prospective
study over 20 years.Journal Of Clinical Periodontology 29 (8),
750-756]
^[Ramón, José-María & Echeverría, José-JavierEffects of
smoking on periodontal tissues. J. of Clinical Periodontology 29 (8),
771-776]
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Updates
Use of water
'softening and Smoking causes Higher Risk of Periodontal Disease
The objective of this study was to examine the
association amongst water softness, risk for periodontitis, and smoking
status.In this study it was found that the use of water 'softening and
conditioning systems' significantly
increased the risk for periodontitis, and smoking increased this risk.
[Wood N, Johnson RB Use of water 'softening and
conditioning systems' significantly increases the risk of periodontitis:
smoking considerations Journal of Periodontal Research 2004; 39(6):367.]
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Smoking
Clinical studies show smoking is a risk factor for
periodontal disease progression. It has also been documented that
smoking impairs healing after periodontal therapy. The present
study on a small group of patients treated for advanced periodontal
disease and well maintained over 5 to 8 years showed no statistically
significant differences between smokers and non-smokers in clinical
probing depth and radiographic bone loss measurements. Effect of
Periodontal Therapy in Smokers and Non-Smokers With Advanced Periodontal
Disease: Results After Maintenance Therapy for a Minimum of 5 Years
George H. Papantonopoulos [J Periodontol 2004;75:839-843.]
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New Surgeon General report
links smoking and periodontal disease
Cigarette smoking as a definite cause of cancers of the lung and larynx
in men and chronic bronchitis in men and women.
The dental section of the 960-page printed report of the U.S. Surgeon
General reviews the epidemiologic evidence for smoking as a causal
factor for the most common forms of nonmalignant oral disease. Its major
conclusions:
+ the evidence is sufficient to infer
a causal relationship between smoking and periodontitis;
+ the evidence is inadequate to
infer the presence or absence of a causal relationship between smoking
and coronal dental caries;
+ the evidence is suggestive but not
sufficient to infer a causal relationship between smoking and
root-surface caries.
A 1982 Surgeon General's report found that cigarette smoking is a major
cause of cancers of the oral cavity in the United States. The 2004
report updates that finding to conclude, "The evidence is sufficient
to infer a causal relationship between smoking and cancers of the oral
cavity and pharynx."
We've known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this
report shows it's even worse, the toxins from cigarette smoke go
everywhere the blood flows.
The new illnesses and conditions linked to cigarette smoking include:
