WHO is clear: tobacco is one of the main risk factors for oral disease — from gums to mucosal cancers. Here is what really happens, and what changes when you quit.
What smoking does in the mouth
- Periodontitis: multiplied risk and — cruelly — bleeding masked by vasoconstriction, delaying diagnosis.
- Implants: higher failure rates in smokers.
- Mucosa: smoking is the first risk factor for potentially malignant lesions; early detection at check-ups is crucial.
- Aesthetics: stains, heavy breath, slower healing after every procedure.
The good part
Quitting works at any age: periodontal risk falls progressively, healing normalises, mucosa recovers. Every check-up at our practice includes mucosal inspection — and if you want to quit, we refer you to national health service cessation programmes.
Sources
- WHO, Tobacco and Oral health fact sheets — tobacco among the main risk factors for oral disease.
- WHO, Global Oral Health Status Report, 2022 — smoking, periodontitis and mucosal lesions.