Heavy smokers always have a yellow or brown tint to their enamel. This violates the overall aesthetics and makes you think about how to remove plaque on teeth after smoking and whether this can be done at home. Any dental plaque is a source of infection that can spread to nearby tissues. Therefore, you should treat cigarette residue responsibly and use all possible ways to eliminate it.
Ideally, it is better to quit smoking. Nicotine, tar and other chemical compounds negatively affect the health of the oral cavity and respiratory system, and increase the risk of developing severe infectious diseases. But not everyone can give up years of smoking. In this case, it is important to regularly visit the dentist and use methods that allow you to remove plaque on your teeth after smoking without harm to your health.
How does smoking affect teeth?
Smoking is a bad habit that negatively affects the overall condition of the oral cavity and dental health. When regularly exposed to tobacco smoke, they acquire a yellow coating and look unattractive. The reason for this is the harmful substances that are part of the smoke - ammonia, tar, nicotine, tar, phenol-formaldehyde, etc. There are about 3,000 substances in total, some of which settle on the enamel and form a characteristic plaque from cigarettes.
Smokers who take good care of their mouths and brush their teeth thoroughly have little plaque buildup. But they also cannot get rid of old deposits that form in hard-to-reach places. Sooner or later, they cease to be just a cosmetic problem and become the cause of dental pathologies.
Absolutely every smoker experiences xerostomia - a kind of dry mouth, indicating an insufficient amount of saliva, which causes a disruption in the natural protective functions of the oral cavity. The result is that plaque very quickly forms on the surface of the teeth, which serves as a breeding ground for pathogenic microorganisms, the waste products of which provoke the appearance of caries and gingivitis.
If a person cannot give up his addiction, then he should regularly remove the plaque that has formed on his teeth from smoking. Otherwise, the development of complications cannot be avoided.
Alternatives to cigarettes that cause less harm
Thanks to steadily developing technologies, smokers today have a chance to make their addiction less dangerous and protect their oral cavity. For this purpose, various alternative means , for example:
- Electronic cigarettes - in some ways, the principle of operation of an electronic cigarette is similar to an inhaler. This device has a shape similar to the usual cigarettes and creates the illusion that a person is using a regular tobacco product. An electronic cigarette includes a battery, LED indicator, vapor generator, replaceable cartridge and other components.
- Hookah is equipment for smoking hookah mixtures and consists of a shaft, a flask (water is poured into it) and a cup (the smoking mixture is poured into it). Essentially, a person inhales aromatic smoke and thereby satisfies his habit.
- Patches create optimal conditions for the intake of purified nicotine into the body, which helps satisfy the daily need for smoking.
- POD systems are compact electronic cigarettes with a small battery, which are a disposable item. Very convenient to use.
- Sprays are recommended during the period of quitting an addiction; their principle of action is similar to nicotine patches. But in both cases, the nicotine component is used as replacement therapy (to prevent the development of withdrawal syndrome). Suitable for experienced smokers. Sprays are available both nasally and orally.
Sources:
- https://telo.guru/kurenie/vred/izmeneniya/zuby-kurilshhika.html
- https://MikDent.ru/estetika/uhod/kurenie-i-zuby.html
- https://mnogozubov.ru/kurenie-vliyanie-na-zuby/
- https://Denta.help/terapevticheskaya/nekarioznye/zuby-kurilshhika-1313
- https://stom.32top.ru/stat/1877/
- https://dentamed.club/gigiena/profilaktika/zuby-kurilshhika.html
Signs of a smoker's plaque
Signs of this unpleasant phenomenon are visible to the naked eye. If desired, every smoker can detect them. To do this, just carefully examine your mouth and teeth in front of the mirror. In this case, the following symptoms of the problem may be observed.
- Visible change in enamel color towards darkening.
- The presence of yellow, brown or black plaque on the neck of the tooth (at the base) or on the inside of the dentition.
- Uncharacteristic color of gums, which look a little “overdried.”
After detecting these signs, all that remains is to exhale sharply into your palm to feel the bad breath - the eternal companion of heavy smokers.
The presence of one or more signs of cigarette plaque is a serious reason to contact specialized specialists - dentists.
Professional teeth cleaning from plaque
At the Dental Center on Shabolovka, professional teeth cleaning is carried out to effectively remove smoker’s plaque. To do this, one of the modern methods of teeth cleaning can be used.
- Mechanical cleaning
- the procedure is carried out manually, using ultrasound or Air-Flow and is reduced to the mechanical destruction of plaque and stone. - Chemical cleaning
is a procedure that involves the application of special dental solutions that soften and break down plaque and tartar, allowing them to be removed from the surface of the teeth. - A combined method
is a procedure that includes chemical and mechanical cleaning of teeth, thanks to which you can achieve the best visible result.
Once the smoker's plaque has been removed, the dentist will grind and polish the surface of the teeth, which will significantly reduce the rate at which the problem reappears.
Important to remember!
The popular teeth whitening procedure is carried out only after professional cleaning.
Removing smoker's plaque at home
Most smokers are confident that they can get rid of yellow plaque on their teeth without visiting a dentist. To do this, it is enough to purchase one of the “newfangled” whitening products or a special toothpaste. At the same time, they completely do not take into account the peculiarities of the use of these funds and their conditionally positive effect.
The problem is that all home teeth whitening products are effective only in cases of minor plaque and have no effect on old deposits, especially if they are located in hard-to-reach places. Ideally, they should be used after professional cleaning to maintain the achieved result. This must be done with great care, since the active components and abrasive substances they contain have a destructive effect on tooth enamel.
More videos about whitening
Don't know how to whiten your teeth after smoking? Use the most popular folk remedies or find out what procedures modern dentistry can offer you.
There are unknown risks associated with using the recommendations in this article and achieving the desired results. You decide to apply these recommendations at your own risk.
DO YOU WANT TO QUIT SMOKING?
Then you need a strategy for quitting cigarettes. With its help it will be much easier to quit.
Smoking does not have the best effect on human health. A nicotine addict's teeth give out. They become covered with a yellow or gray coating, which cannot be removed with a simple paste and brush. But there are no hopeless situations. There are proven ways to clean your teeth from nicotine at home. Read on to learn more about effective folk and pharmacy remedies, as well as professional procedures.
Removing plaque using folk remedies
Traditional medicine does not stand aside from dental problems. And to eliminate smoker’s plaque, she suggests using the well-known baking soda. To do this, you need to mix it with tooth powder or toothpaste and clean your teeth very thoroughly with this mixture. But it must be taken into account that this mixture can be used no more than 2 times a week, which is clearly not enough to remove cigarette stains. Otherwise, baking soda will gradually soften tooth enamel and negatively affect the condition of your gums. Often after such an “execution” there appears profuse bleeding of the gums and increased sensitivity of the enamel, which begins to react painfully to “cold” and “hot”.
There is also a safer method of traditional medicine that allows you to remove smoker’s plaque. To do this, immediately after smoking a cigarette, you need to chew a slice of lemon, green apple or strawberry for a long time. The fruit acids contained in these products will prevent plaque formation. But at the same time, they have a destructive effect on tooth enamel and cause its gradual thinning. And it is unlikely that any smoker will decide to undertake such a complex “ritual” after each cigarette smoked.
General recommendations
To keep your teeth white and healthy, you not only need to whiten periodically, but also follow these rules:
- brush your teeth at least 2 times a day, thoroughly cleaning all surfaces of the teeth and spending at least 5 minutes on the procedure;
- use medicated paste constantly and periodically alternating it with a special whitening paste - we brush our teeth with a regular paste for 3 months and with a special whitening paste for 1 month;
- limit the consumption of strong tea, coffee, carbonated drinks and other products that stain tooth enamel;
- reduce consumption of foods containing high concentrations of sugar;
- give up smoking - only by completely giving up smoking can you achieve whiter teeth, otherwise you will have to carry out whitening constantly, and the result will get worse every year.
The danger of untimely treatment and plaque removal
The appearance of cigarette residue cannot be ignored! Especially if it is accompanied by gingivitis, bad breath and bleeding gums. Failure to promptly seek help and remove plaque will lead to the progression of gingivitis, which will cause periodontal disease - periodontitis. In turn, periodontitis is accompanied by mobility of the dentition, which can ultimately result in tooth loss.
We should not forget about such a dental problem as caries, the main reason for the development of which is dental plaque. The pathogenic microorganisms that “live” in it, day after day, destroy not only the enamel, but also the hard tissues of the tooth, which will ultimately lead to its loss.
Prevention
It is always easier to prevent pathology than to treat it. In order to avoid the appearance of plaque, it is best to get rid of the bad habit of smoking. If this cannot be done, then you need to at least minimize the number of cigarettes you smoke. Additional preventive measures are:
- thorough dental hygiene at least twice a day using a toothbrush, floss and mouthwash;
- timely replacement of the toothbrush;
- rinsing the mouth after every meal or smoking;
- control over the amount of coffee and strong tea consumed;
- alternating different types of toothpaste;
- regular oral hygiene at the dentist.
It is better to solve the problem at the stage while the above simple recommendations are effective. If you do not give up the bad habit, as well as neglect preventive measures, then plaque after smoking can lead to serious oral diseases.
Category Hygiene Published by Mister stomatolog
