Smoking has been linked by doctors as being one of the biggest reasons for gum disease. Numerous studies have been done that show that there is a connection between smoking mouth disease, including cancer. Most show you can be 4 to 5 times more likely to have gum disease if you are a smoker. It can be really hard to kick the smoking habit once you are already addicted. Here are the things you need to know if you think you may have periodontal disease:
YOU ARE LIKELY GOING TO GET GUM DISEASE IF YOU KEEP SMOKING
You are likely going to develop periodontal disease later in life if you keep smoking. If you are smoking now, you will likely develop problems as you get into your 30s and 40s. If you are older than that and haven’t developed any gum conditions from smoking cigarettes, you should consider yourself lucky.
THE BEGINNING SIGNS OF GUM DISEASE BEGIN AS EARLY AS THE TEENAGE YEARS
Most people start smoking when they are a teenager. For some teens, they are peer-pressured into smoking. It is a rite of passage into adulthood. Once you get older, you realize how naïve you were in your younger years. If you always have bad breath everyday, this could be a sign of gum disease. Another sign is if you are not brushing your teeth religiously two times a day.
YOU CAN STILL REVERSE THE TREND TO GET GUM DISEASE IF YOU STOP SMOKING
A lot of these same studies have shown that people that stopped smoking years ago are at no greater risk to developing gum disease than the general public. If you can quit smoking now, you have a chance to lower your risk.
