Vaping and your Orthodontic Treatment

While you may already understand the negative correlation between smoking and oral health, but did you know that vaping can also cause similar, irreversible damage to your teeth?

This damage can lead to gum disease, death of gum tissue, and loss of teeth. This means that vaping poses significant risks to your oral health.

While e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, they do contain nicotine which can put you at risk for oral health issues. Research indicates that nicotine can reduce blood flow, which can cause gum recession and death of gum tissue. Nicotine can also cause gum inflammation and swelling, increased risk of cavities, tooth sensitivity, and tooth loss.

Nicotine can also lead to gum disease with the combination of dry mouth, bacteria, and tooth decay caused by vaping. Because vaping can affect the health of your teeth and gums, it can affect your candidacy for orthodontic treatment and how your teeth respond to treatment.

The health of your gums and teeth are key factors to determining if you are a good candidate for orthodontic treatment. Before beginning orthodontic treatment, you will need to visit your dentist to have a periodontal checkup to make sure that your gums and teeth are healthy enough to begin treatment.

Vaping causes gum damage to accelerate, which makes it more difficult for your teeth to respond to the orthodontic treatment. This means your teeth will not move into their desired position as fast if you are vaping. Vaping also increases your risk of your teeth relapsing after treatment since it increases your risk of gum disease.

The oral health harm caused by vaping is preventable, so it is recommended to quit or avoid starting vaping. You will be investing a lot of time and effort into transforming your smile, so it is best not to risk damaging it. Contact King Orthodontics today to learn more!