E-cigs and vaporizers (commonly referred to by their short-name of “Vapes”) are essentially battery powered smoking gizmos. In recent years, they’ve gained immensely in popularity as the online culture around vaping has spiraled into a new niche of its own. Of course, as well all already know, smoking is nothing but bad news for health. Considering smoking involves the intake of smoke directly through our mouths, a natural connection can be drawn between the smoking and oral healthcare issues. The question here is, are e-cigs/ Vapes harmful for oral health?

Impact of vaporizers on dental health

To simply assume that vapes have no negative effect on oral health would be a mistake. Unfortunately, because it’s still an emerging market/ niche, there isn’t too much factual data available to make direct statement regarding E-cigs or vapes and their relation to dental health. According to Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of United States, these replacements have not been completely studied.

When compared to cigarettes or other consumable smokes, the risk of contracting said oral health issues is immensely lower. For the most part, individuals ignore health warnings until they are directly faced with the health issue in question. It’s rare that the warning sign, such as the sign on the cigarette box, would be enough to compel a person to give up smoking altogether. However, the signage may get them on track to considering alternative options such as nicotine gum, or as mentioned earlier, e-cigs/ vaporizers.

The drops used for E-Cigs contains mixture of nicotine, distilled water, flavored add-ons and few other chemicals. Together they produce vapor instead of smoke. The quantity of nicotine, although very small, is still there. Nicotine hurts the production of saliva in your mouth that helps bacteria to grow. It also could be a major reason of tooth decay. Though E-Cigarettes or vaporizers generally don’t use tobacco, you can purchase tobacco flavored vape drops. As well, diluted liquid nicotine is added/ used as a base for the more popular vape drops. Nicotine is a drug stemming from tobacco leaves which has been studied to be a factor causing various harmful periodontal issues.

Periodontal issues caused by nicotine

·         Weakening/ recession of gums, which can lead to a fallout of your dental implants.

·         It hides out the symptoms of gum diseases, which is really harmful. The dentist would have a hard time declaring whether or not you have a gum disease.

·         Causes bad breath, which pollutes your whole internal system.

·         It could make you an intensive teeth grinder, by firing up your muscles.

As research into vapes/ e-cigs continues, more and more health risks will come to light. However, the bottom-line as it currently sits is that they, in fact, do have a negative impact on your dental health due to the use of nicotine in the majority of vape drops available for sale

If you use such vaporizers or thinking about to using them, keep an eye on symptoms of gum disease. The best way to maintain your dental health is visit your dentist every 3-4 months. In the Las vegas area, you can visit My Dream Dental.

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