Key takeaways
- Smoking with braces harms treatment, damages brackets.
- Dental discoloration increases, affecting braces appearance.
- Higher risk of gum disease due to smoking.
- Slower healing process with discomfort and challenges.
- Weakened enamel from smoking risks long-term dental health.
Braces aren’t just for teenagers with awkward smiles. Many middle-aged people wear braces to train and support their teeth, especially after going through some extractions.
Unfortunately, even after spending thousands on your teeth, curbing your desire for smoking with braces can still be extremely difficult. But, it could be motivating to quit if you knew the effects of smoking when you’re going through a physical dental treatment.
We know it’s tough to kick the habit, but when it comes to braces, there are a few extra reasons to put down those ciggies. Let’s learn more about them in this post.
1. Compromising The Treatment
You’ve invested in braces to straighten out that grin, so it does make sense that smoking can be a real roadblock to success.
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Smoking slows the straightening process and can even mess with the wires and brackets. Think about it – braces are like a team of little engineers working on your teeth, and lighting up a ciggie is like throwing in a smoke bomb that disrupts their progress.
Smoking with braces not only causes stains but may also accelerate the degradation of the brackets holding the teeth together. Furthermore, smoking is a leading cause of gum disease, which may lead to tooth loss and the misalignment of your braces.
2. Dental Discoloration and Staining
Now, we all love a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of red with dinner. But combine that with smoking, and you’re edging towards dental disaster.
Smoking is a major culprit for dental discoloration and staining, and when you’ve got braces, those stains can set up camp around the brackets and wires.
A smile with stains of yellow and brown is not exactly the look you’re going for if you want to fix your appearance. So, if you want your pearly whites to actually be white, it might be time to consider kicking the smoking habit.
3. Increased Risk of Gum Disease
Braces already demand a bit more TLC when it comes to oral hygiene, but throw smoking into the mix, and you’re flirting with gum disease.
As mentioned, the chemicals in cigarette smoke weaken your oral defense against bacteria, making it easier for those little troublemakers to set up camp.
Gum disease is uncomfortable, can wreak havoc on your dental alignment, and render your braces ineffective at their task.
Bacteria from any gum disease can also stay on your braces, so stop smoking and don’t let your braces be the gateway to gum issues – give your gums the love they deserve. Brush, floss, and chuck the smokes to the curb. Your gums and your braces will thank you for it.
4. Slower Healing Process
No one wants to be stuck with braces longer than necessary. Smoking, though, can slow down the healing process.
Your braces are glued to your teeth to keep them in line. To do their job well, they need a clean environment to align the teeth and fix their appearance.
Unfortunately, smoking, with all its toxins, can compromise the process and make it longer and much more painful to get that perfect smile.
So, if you want to speed up the process, quitting during the treatment – or quitting entirely – is always the best course of action.
5. Weakening Tooth Enamel
It’s no surprise that all the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage and degrade your enamel, the support structure and defender of your teeth. Smoking, however, chips away at that defence, leaving your teeth vulnerable to decay.
With braces in the picture, the enamel of your teeth is already dealing with some drastic and possibly damaging changes. Adding smoking to the mix is just inviting trouble and wasting your entire dental treatment.
So, if you care about the long-term health of your teeth, it might be time to consider parting ways with the smokes.
Can I Vape With Braces?
While vaping is often considered a “safer” alternative to smoking, it’s not an automatic green light for braces either.
Nicotine vaping products (NVPs) do not have the dangerous chemicals of cigarette smoke. Nicotine, the addictive product in both cigarettes and vaping products, does not affect your dental health in any way.
However, it is highly recommended that you speak to a GP about your best course of action.
Summary
With all things considered, it’s important to know that smoking with braces before or after does not do any good for your dental health. It’s best to keep the healing process natural to get the best results from your dental treatment.
If you’re having difficulty quitting smoking, we can always help you get started on your quit journey, whether you’re going through an oral treatment or otherwise.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including using responsible vaping products where appropriate.
Click here to book your telehealth consultation with an Australian healthcare professional and quit smoking today.