The Effects Of Vaping On Your Dental Health
The vast majority of health professionals concur that vaping is the lesser of two evils when compared with smoking. But that doesn’t mean that vaping doesn’t carry a catalogue of risks to your general health and your dental health.
In this piece, we’ll explore:
Why it’s important to use the correct language to describe vaping (they’re e-cigarettes!)
The ingredients within an e-cigarette.
The effects of these ingredients on your oral health.
The harm the long-term use of e-cigarettes carries.
Using the correct terminology for vaping – why is it important?
As dentists, when we speak to our patients about vaping, we refer to it as an ‘e-cigarette’ and we’re keen to normalise this; it highlights that the effects are not a million miles away from those of a cigarette on your oral health.
It can be so easy to forget that vaping is still a form of smoking. In our view, using the term ‘vaping’ is unhelpful in highlighting the negative effects and could well be a contributing factor preventing young people from fully understanding and considering the harm an e-cigarette can pose.
After all, language influences so many of our decisions, including when it comes to what we choose to put in our bodies.
What are the ingredients in an e-cigarette?
E-cigarettes contain three ingredients:
A carrier solution such as propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin.
Nicotine.
Flavourings.
E-cigarettes contain varying strengths of nicotine, allowing the user to choose how much they want, or need to prevent nicotine withdrawal after using cigarettes. E-cigarettes contain less nicotine than cigarettes, making them less addictive, and they don’t contain tobacco, the known cancer-causing chemical in cigarettes.
How do e-cigarettes affect oral health?
To remain healthy, our teeth and gums, rely on a delicately balanced oral ecosystem, which can be which can be affected when we ingest harmful chemicals.
E-cigarettes contain several ingredients known to be damaging to our oral health, such as vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. These carrier substances can create a sticky substance that disrupts your oral microbiome balance, causing issues like:
Excess bad bacteria in the mouth. This can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and gum recession.
Nicotine is known for preventing blood supply to the gums, which can result in periodontal disease and poor gum healing.
Dry mouth - tooth decay, bad breath.
Teeth grinding. Also known as bruxism, vaping and smoking may stimulate muscular activity which can cause teeth grinding, which can be accompanied by unpleasant symptoms like head and jaw ache.
E-cigarettes as a lifestyle choice vs a way to quit cigarettes
One of the other main concerns of medical professionals is that non-smokers are taking up e-cigarettes when the sole role of e-cigarettes should be to help smokers wean themselves off tobacco.
In an ideal world, the use of e-cigarettes would be restricted to smokers attempting to stop using tobacco products. However, e-cigarettes are increasingly becoming a lifestyle choice, and potentially risking the health of users who do not need to otherwise suffer the potential long-term effects…
What are the long-term effects of vaping?
Scientists have concluded that further detailed and varied studies are needed to comprehend how the aerosols within an e-cigarette interrelate with the harmless bacteria within the mouth.
There is no conclusive research on the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes – they simply haven’t been around long enough.
However, the key takeaway here is to remember that:
They contain ingredients that are known to be potentially harmful.
They create an inhospitable environment for the healthy bacteria in your mouth.
Ask a dentist about vaping
If you’d like to discuss vaping vs cigarettes in more detail with one of our dentists, please get in touch. Our ‘ask a dentist’ service is free of charge, and we welcome any questions that will help you make responsible decisions for your oral health.
Simply fill in this form, and one of our experienced dentists will get back to you within 24 hours.
