Practitioners at a Dental Office in Kona are likely to encourage their patients to stop smoking. Some patients may wonder how the dentist and hygienist know that they smoke. It’s not because their clothing and hair smell like smoke, although that may be the case. It’s because smoking causes discoloration of tooth enamel and it has detrimental effects on the gums that these practitioners can easily see. Even if a patient does not admit to smoking on the medical history, the practitioners at the clinic know.
Smokers are at much higher risk of developing gum disease than non-smokers are. Gum disease begins as inflammation and may progress to infection if not resolved early on. This periodontal disease also tends to be more severe in smokers, with deeper pockets around the teeth and loss of gum attachment to the teeth. It can cause loss of bone density in the jaw. Dental patients who smoke do not respond as well as non-smokers do to treatment for gum disease. Although people age 40 and younger may lose teeth for various reasons, the most prevalent cause is periodontal disease due to smoking. Bone loss in the jawbone can cause teeth to become loose and even to fall out. Smoking decreases the immune system’s ability to fight infection, and its irritating effects on the gums inhibit the natural healing process.
Practitioners at a Dental Office in Kona understand that when patients quit smoking, they experience positive results with the health of their gums. That’s obviously just one aspect of the health benefits related to smoking cessation, since smoking tobacco is implicated in lung disease and heart disease, along with an increased risk of several types of cancer.
A dentist such as Carter S. Yokoyama D.D.S. is very willing to spend time consulting with patients who want to quit using tobacco. With the assistance of this medical professional, individuals can successfully tackle their destructive habit. The dentist may encourage individuals to use an over-the-counter nicotine patch to reduce cravings for cigarettes. Dentists also can provide printed information about successful strategies for beating this habit. Click Here for details about this particular dental clinic.
