Teeth Whitening: Vaping vs. Smoking
Jul 24, 2018
Many people turn to vaping as a means of quitting smoking cigarettes. It’s a healthier habit and reduces the risks of developing disease. While vaping may be better in terms of lowering the risks of cancer, emphysema, and other diseases related to tobacco smoking, how does it affect one’s teeth? Another reason many people want to quit smoking is to restore a whiter, brighter smile. That leaves the question of how vaping vs. smoking affects the appearance of one’s teeth.
Tobacco smokers know all too well that yellowed teeth are just the beginning of the dental problems caused by regular smoking products. While it may not be as visible in the gums as in the teeth, the gums do also become stained and contaminated with the harmful compounds in tobacco smoke. Over the long term, continued tobacco use leads to tooth decay and loss, plaque build-up, gingivitis, persistent bad breath, and can eventually cause oral cancer.
The common assumption is that vaping has the same effect on oral health, but this simply isn’t true. While it may seem similar to the casual observer, vaping is an entirely different experience from smoking. Therefore, it doesn’t have the same effects on the health of your teeth, gums, and mouth. Already, you can begin to see the positive effects that switching to vaping can do for you.
As far as tooth discoloration, vaping doesn’t have nearly the same effect on your teeth as smoking. Using tobacco products may require frequent teeth whitening. This can impact your wallet just as much as your oral health. Your dental hygienist has probably already warned you about the damage that cigarette smoke is having on your teeth. As you switch to vaping, you will begin to notice positive changes almost immediately. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of e-cigarettes is that it has helped millions of people kick their tobacco habits. When you’re vaping, you can’t also be smoking, so this helps control the symptoms of physical addiction.
Cigarette smoke contains many harmful additives that affect your health. It’s primarily the tar and ash that largely contributes to the build-up of plaque on your teeth. As plaque grows thicker, it causes a yellow film to appear on your teeth. This causes them to appear damaged. This process doesn’t take long and even new smokers will notice a yellowing of their teeth. Over several years of cigarette smoking, that yellowing of your teeth will worsen and become even more embarrassing.
Conversely, e-cigarettes don’t produce smoke or harmful contaminants. The reason it is called vaping is because you’re inhaling the vapor created by heating the e-liquid. In addition to producing a pleasant taste, the e-vapor lacks the tar and ash responsible for causing the yellowing of teeth. It also lacks the carcinogens that can cause cancer to develop in the mouth, throat, and lungs.
Over a lifetime, the teeth degrade and weaken, eventually falling out. In a nonsmoker, this won’t happen until the individual reaches 60 or 70 years of age. However, cigarette smokers experience this level of decay much faster and may begin experiencing tooth loss as early as their 30s and 40s. Vaping helps you avoid this type of tooth loss by eliminating your exposure to the chemicals responsible for causing a degeneration of your oral health.
After more than a decade of vaping products on the market, it’s widely known that vaping doesn’t have the same effects on oral health as cigarette smoke. As previously discussed, e-vapor doesn’t contain the same byproducts that can yellow the teeth and gums, cause tooth decay, or cause gum disease. This means that oral care won’t be as challenging for those who vape as for those who smoke cigarettes.
Those new to vaping have observed a change in the color of their teeth and gums. While this can be alarming, if you weren’t expecting it, it’s not really a cause for concern. As you switch from smoking to vaping, the discoloration in your mouth will begin to fade. The changes you may be observing comes from your teeth and gums returning to their natural color.
One change that may be a cause for concern with vaping is a discoloration of the tongue. Vaping can cause your body to become dehydrated faster, which is why your tongue may appear yellowish. If this occurs, it’s a good indication that you’re not drinking enough water. You can resolve the discoloration and feel healthier by ditching sugary drinks and drinking more water.
It may take time to completely replace your cigarettes with e-cigarettes, but, once you do, your body will gradually begin to heal itself from the effects of cigarette smoke. These changes won’t happen overnight, so you will have to be patient. While there’s no research to suggest vaping is good for you, it is a healthier alternative to smoking. Early on, you may still experience some symptoms of smoking, such as tooth sensitivity, but, over time, those symptoms will be alleviated.
You will also notice that your teeth and gums appear and feel healthier over time. You shouldn’t expect to see your teeth return to a pristine white, but much of the yellowing will fade. To completely restore your teeth to a strong shade of white, you may need to submit to a teeth whitening , such as the treatment offered by Trinity Dental Care in Scottsdale AZ.
Maintaining good oral health requires quitting behaviors that are harmful to your teeth and gums. By switching from cigarette smoking to vaping, you can eliminate the toxins that are affecting your smile. While some degree of tooth decay is natural, that which is caused by tobacco products can produce a costly and embarrassing degeneration of your oral health. Conversely, vaping won’t contribute to poor oral health and can help you maintain a healthier and more attractive smile. It will also help you avoid the tooth loss that can affect your ability to eat certain foods, speak more fluently, and inhibit your self confidence.