Smoking Addiction

Smoking can be a difficult addiction to break, however with the New Year here, now is your time. While E-cigarettes seem like a healthier alternative to picking up and smoking a regular cigarette, it is not a better alternative for your teeth. E-cigarette companies are making the argument that the vapor you are inhaling is a real life healthy alternative that does not cause cancer, but e-cigarettes still contain nicotine.

Nicotine reduces saliva in the mouth. Reduced saliva causes food to stay on the teeth longer. The more time that food is stuck to the surface of your teeth the longer opportunity there is for it to attack the enamel, causing decay, periodontal disease and cavities.  The negative affects of nicotine doesn’t stop there, it also inhibits the body from regenerating healthy cells and fighting off disease.

While companies are marketing that e-cigarettes do not contain poisonous chemicals in them and are therefore healthy for everyone, the exact opposite is true. In a study completed by France’s National Consumer’s institute they found that there were in-fact other chemicals in the cigarette that are very dangerous such as formaldehyde and diethylene glycol.  

While research is still on the fence about the risks of this type of cigarette, the FDA has not approved it. Dentist, Dr. Denine Rice, suggests that these are not a healthy alternative for smoking and should be avoided. If you need help quitting smoking there are safer and healthier choices. Contact her office today for support.