Do you have dentures? Do you smoke? Usually, it is best to refrain from smoking if you wear dentures, as doing so can affect the health of your gums and lead to further problems with the fit of the prosthetics.
Contact us at (503) 620-2807 if you wear dentures and smoke and need to know more about what it can do to your oral and general health.
What Happens When You Smoke and You Wear Dentures
When you smoke and wear dentures, the activity usually hardens the gums to protect against the smoke that you inhale.
However, the gums can also shrink and start to recede when you smoke or chew tobacco, which causes a problem with your dentures’ fit.
Once you end smoking, the gums will regenerate so the softer gum layer is restored. After this happens, it is easier to get your dentures to fit along the alveolar ridge.
Why Smoking Affects Gum Health
The nicotine in cigarettes restricts the flow of blood in the blood vessels in the mouth and body. As a result, any blood supply to your gums becomes limited.
When the flow of blood is limited, it takes longer for the gum tissue to heal, or it has problems regenerating.
If you wear dentures, the goal is the keep your gums healthy and free of infection. Smoking can make this difficult.
Also, when you smoke, you increase the rate that bone is lost. When this occurs, it can negatively affect your looks and dental profile.
Smoking is never a good activity, whether or not you wear dentures. The tobacco stains both natural and artificial teeth, which makes it that much harder to care for your dentures or your teeth.
If you need help in this regard, we can refer you to places where you can get help with quitting. To improve your dental health, sometimes all you need to do is to stop a bad habit.
