Vaping and Dental Health 101

Unless you’ve been underneath a rock or in a cave for the last several months, you have likely noticed that there is a surge of news about the health risks of vaping. Researchers are scrambling to discover if vaping is as safe as it’s been advertised as well as learn if the tidal wave of otherwise unexplainable health problems are related to vaping. Dr. Rogers, your hometown Spanish Fork dentist, wants his patients to make informed decision about their e-cigarette use before they start to vape, or to help motivate them to abandon this dangerous practice.

No tobacco means no cancer, right?

Nope! While true, e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they do contain nicotine, which is the addictive substance in cigarettes that has known medical risks. Nicotine is a known carcinogen and has been shown over decades of research to promote tumor growth in the lungs, pancreas, breasts, and gastrointestinal tract.

Nicotine and gun disease

Nicotine is a significant cause of gum disease since it constricts blood vessels, reducing the oxygen and nutrient flow to your entire body. The reduction of circulation to your mouth and cheeks destroys your gums, causing them to recede as the disease progresses, and the ultimate death of healthy gum tissue, tooth decay, and tooth loss.

Vaping and dry mouth

When looking at the effects of vaping on your mouth and its natural production of saliva, there is a connection between the various ingredients in the pods and dry mouth. The most significant effects seem to be from propylene glycol, which is frequently used as the base oil of pods. As there are new formulas coming out faster than experts can test them, there are likely others that will be detected. When the saliva production is limited in your mouth, beyond being uncomfortable, the body’s natural defense to wash bacteria out of your mouth is limited.

Don’t start, and if you already do – stop

It really comes to this, please don’t start vaping. It is not safer than cigarettes, quite the opposite. Please book an appointment with Roger’s Dentistry, a leading Spanish Fork dental practice to discuss the effect that vaping has on your teeth and let us help you keep your mouth healthy.