Smoking & Gum Disease

Denver Dentist Dental Crown Smoking and Periodontal Disease Highlands Ranch Dentistry, Denver Dentistry.

It is generally assumed that everyone knows that smoking is hazardous to your health. The risks of cancer, heart disease and premature death are well established in the medical community. Dental implications of smoking are also significant. Today, one of my long-term patients had another tooth extracted for periodontal reasons. Yes, he had been a long-term smoker. In my Highlands Ranch dental office patients, who smoke have the greatest number of teeth lost due to periodontal disease. Highlands Ranch Dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp treat patients with periodontal disease. Dr's DeLapp also see dental patients from Parker, Denver, Castle Pines, Lone Tree, Douglas County, and Ken Caryl areas of Colorado.

Periodontal disease (gum idsease) is an infection of the gums and bone and it is the bone that holds your teeth in. It is caused by the bacteria that are responsible for plaque and calculus (see our other blog postings). Your body tries to fight this foreign body (plaque and calculus) and in doing so... ends up destroying itself (the bone).

Smoking and periodontal disease (gum disease)

Smoking helps cause periodontal disease several ways and include but is not limited to:

Reduces your body's ability to fight infection
Reduces the production of saliva (see our Blog on dry-mouth destruction posting)
Increases staining, which allows plaque to adhere more easily to the teeth and under the gums.
Causes a micro-circulatory problem (the gums become less oxygenated e.g).
If combined with other systemic diseases can cause gum disease to worsen.
Combining with high sugar intake can be devastating
Smoking reduces the success of dental implants
Smoking increases the risks of dry socket infections after surgery
... and much more.

Patients who smoke are three (3) to six (6) times more likely to have periodontal disease that the rest of the population. Smoking after periodontal treatment reduces your body's ability to heal itself and dental procedures become less predictable. Anything that would increase the constriction of our blood vessels generally cannot be good for you. Smoking reduces you body's ability to heal itself and promoted degeneration of all organs including your gums.

Highlands Ranch dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp provide dental services to dental patients in Denver, Parker, Douglas County, Ken Caryl, Lone Tree and the Castle Pine Colorado area. Please feel free to contact our office at (303) 694-9740 if you have any questions on how smoking relates to gun disease.