Does Vaping Affect Dental Health? Find out here!

Vapes are a trendy alternative to cigarettes. You may have heard that they are safer than traditional cigarettes, and that’s not all that you should know.

Vaping not only makes you vulnerable to widespread diseases but also endangers your dental health, says Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry.

Many people who switch to vapes or e-cigarettes pay the minimum amount of attention to vapes’ risks to their oral hygiene.

We will look into the subject in detail and see how research relates vapes to oral hygiene.

Vaping Does Affect Your Dental Health! Says Research

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has studied how vapes affect dental health. The research credit the ingredients of the liquid that burns and vapes through the inhaler.

A vape has propylene glycol, glycerol, nicotine, and mixed favors to sweeten the highly detrimental taste for your teeth. Besides bad breath and teeth stains, vaping liquid can even cause decay with aldehydes, metals, drugs, and tobacco alkaloids.

Vaping and Bad Breath

Dentists say there are multiple reasons for bad breath, but tobacco, propylene glycol, and nicotine are the leading causes.

Consistent vaping causes a condition termed Xerostomia, where your salivary glands stop making enough saliva. The mentioned materials cause your mouth’s muscles to turn dry, giving rise to bad breath and social embarrassment.

Vapes have comparatively lower risks than cigarettes, but they do play a part in halitosis or bad breath.

Vaping and Tooth Decay

Tooth decay looks like an easy-to-get-rid-of disease, and most people don’t even take it seriously, but it can cause bigger problems in a more extended period.

Poor oral hygiene houses bacteria on your teeth’ surface to form a film. This bacteria feeds on sugary food, weakens your enamel, and penetrates your teeth, causing decay.

Vaping makes your teeth a comfortable home for bacteria, says a 2018 study. Since the liquids have a sweet flavor, bacteria get their food regularly.

Vaping and Oral Cancer

Some dental health specialists swear that vaping is safer than traditional cigarettes, but the truth is it’s not.

Several researchers have a stand that vaping is equally responsible for causing oral cancer. The nicotine also stains your teeth if you don’t take care of your oral hygiene.

Vaping affects your gums, causing gingivitis and other periodontal diseases that can jeopardize your personality and overall confidence to speak and engage with the public.

Vaping and Bruxism

Bruxism is a dental disease where patients clench and gnash their teeth unknowingly, even when asleep. A person suffering from bruxism constantly grinds their teeth and pushes their jaw forward.

Vaping and smoking are major causes of the rise in Bruxism conditions.

What makes vaping so unhealthy? Nicotine!

When you inhale nicotine, it stimulates your mouth muscles and affects blood flow, leading to teeth clenching.

Nicotine also becomes the main reason behind your teeth stains, bacteria build-up, tooth decay, bruxism, and whatnot. However, it’s not the only factor since e-cigarettes or vapes have other chemicals involved that are dangerous to inhale.

Vaping and Gums

Vaping causes numerous periodontal diseases, including irritation in your gums. It connects to bruxism because grinding hurts your gums and jaws.

Vaping is not as dangerous as traditional cigarettes, but it’s in no way safer for your dental or overall health. Now we have two ways to take control of the situation.

First, we can quit vaping. If that’s something that you can’t do immediately, then following a strict oral hygiene routine will help you minimize dental health risks.

Oral Hygiene Tips to Mitigate Risks

When you are used to vaping and enjoying it, it can be tough to even think of following healthy oral hygiene. But if you think about your dental health, it’s going to be comparatively more straightforward.

Here’s what you can do.

Use a mouthwash.

Ask your dentist to prescribe you an effective, antibacterial mouthwash. Once you have your mouthwash, gargle with the liquid every time you vape. This will prevent tartar formation, bacteria accumulation and decrease bad breath chances.

Brush Twice a Day

Brushing twice a day goes without saying, and you have been hearing this advice since you were a kid. This advice is especially important if you use vapes. Brushing helps wipe the bacteria and plaque film formed on your teeth. When you brush your teeth, it’s important to remember that you are not too harsh.

Drink Water

Vaping dehydrates your mouth muscles which leads to bad breath. So now you should try to drink as much water as possible. Drinking water will give you other benefits as well. So one thing that you can do is drink a glass of water every time you use the vape. Keep yourself hydrated.

Floss Once a Day

Flossing and brushing come hand in hand. Flossing can help you with healthy gums that vaping affects big time. If you vape, you have sugary liquids sticking to your teeth. Flossing can help with this. Your roots will strengthen if your gums are free of bacteria film. Daily flossing removes the plaque that is in between the teeth.

Try Quitting

People usually switch to vapes to quit smoking, but it’s not a viable solution. It can be challenging if you are deep into the habit, but starting with cutting on the inhaling will help. You can then gradually cut it loose. Until then, follow the given tips religiously because it will lead to quitting.

You can begin following these tips starting from mouthwash because it needs the least effort, and then you can move to brushing, flossing, and the rest.

Takeaway

Nothing is too detrimental if it’s occasional, but the thing with e-cigarettes and vaping is that these devices are addictive, owing to nicotine, so it’s better that you don’t go near it. But if it’s too late now, you should know that it’s time to give up.

Visiting your dental hygienist will also help you come up with easy tips and tricks to maintain day-to-day oral hygienic practices.