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Archive for February 2017

E-Cigarettes Can Cause Gum Disease

There’s no safe alternative for tobacco, however, there’s an opinion out there that the use of e-cigarettes or vaporizers are more health conscious—there’s even advertisements claiming that it’s just a harmless vapor, nothing dangerous. Hopefully we’re seeing through those advertisements, because e-cigarettes are far from being healthy, or even safe.

E-cigarettes

For those of you who don’t know, e-cigarettes are refillable modern-looking pipe or cigarette-looking devices, that use battery power to vaporize a nicotine-type solution, which is then inhaled.

Because e-cigarettes are relatively new, there is very little, if any, standards in place to govern the substances used. Therefore, there’s no control over what the level of contaminants are—contaminants include cancer-causing carcinogens, some of which are found in products like anti-freeze, etc. Also, because e-cigarettes are new, it is impossible to know what exactly the adverse health effects of “vaping” are. However, what we know for sure is that nicotine in any dose has adverse health effects on bodies. E-cigarette companies like to state that the levels of nicotine are much lower than that from a classic tobacco cigarette, also claim that the nicotine doesn’t have the same adverse effects on a person’s health because it’s not being burnt—understand, however, that regardless of the severity of the nicotine intake, nicotine in any amount of form has a negative effect on your body, and your oral health.

E-cigarettes and oral health

Studies have shown that nicotine causes our gum tissues to recede, and these recessed pockets can become likely sights for gingivitis or the more severe periodontal disease. There’s information on the internet that vaping will benefit a person’s gum health. However, this has been shown to be false. The reasons for this myth—yes, we’re calling it a myth—are varied, but to put it simply, nicotine usage in any dosage will cause inflammation in the gum tissues. This inflammation makes the gum tissue appear healthy—vibrant pink, etc. But the problem is that the inflammation is only masking the underlying issues, and the gum tissue is, in fact, still receding from the teeth.

The signs for gum disease are the same for the person using an e-cigarette. Your gums will bleed, they will have receded from the teeth, and pockets of space will form around the base of the tooth. If you think you are suffering from gum disease, make an appointment with your periodontist immediately, as early detection is essential in a successful treatment of the disease.

If you are experiencing periodontal disease, please schedule an appointment today with your Periodontal Specialist today!

 

 

 

 

 

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