Five ways quitting smoking can improve your oral health

Whether you’re thinking about quitting smoking or if you’ve made the decision to stop, no doubt you’ll be aware of the great benefits it can have on your health, wellbeing and your finances!

But did you know there are some good reasons to quit smoking for your oral health too?

1. Fresher breath

One of the effects of smoking is bad breath (halitosis). It can make your mouth smell and taste bad.¹ Smoke can stay on your breath a long while after your last cigarette. Smoking also increases your risk of gum disease, which is another potential cause of bad breath.

2. Reduction in nicotine related tooth staining

If you smoke, this will likely show in the colour of your teeth. Smoking can turn your teeth yellow and over many years a brown colour.² The staining is caused by the nicotine and tar in cigarettes, but the good news is that this is reversable over time!³

3. Healthier gums

Smoking makes your gums less resistant to harmful bacteria and therefore more prone to becoming diseased. Smoking also causes gum disease to progress faster than in non-smokers and this is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults.⁴

4. Better sense of taste and smell

Many smokers complain of a loss of taste and smell, this is because smoking can damage the nerve endings in your nose and mouth, which dulls these two senses.⁵

5. It reduces your risk of oral cancers

Smoking and tobacco is one of the main causes of mouth cancer. Smokers are up to ten times more likely to suffer from mouth cancer, than someone who has never smoked.⁶ The good news is that by giving up tobacco, many of the negative effects on the mouth, teeth and gums are reversible.⁷

Making the decision to stop smoking can be daunting, however it is the first big step on your journey to a healthier, smoke-free life. Support with quitting smoking is available from:

• Your GP, at pharmacies or through other healthcare professionals 
• Your local stop smoking service
• The NHS Smoke-free website: www.nhs.uk/smokefree