Link Between Cavities And Smoking
11/04/2011
A new study has found a link between second-hand smoke and childhood cavities.
With national No Smoking Day having taken place recently, the media has been full of reports about the nasty things smoking can do in damaging your health. A lot of these health problems that affect smokers can also affect those who live with smokers, forced to breathe in second-hand smoke. We’ve known for many years that second-hand smoke can be just as damaging to the lungs of a non-smoker as smoking twenty a day can be to a smoker. That’s why smoking has been banned in public places!
Unfortunately, many smokers are not so careful about who breathes in their second-hand smoke in their homes. Opening a window while your cigarette is lit is not enough to keep the smoke out of harm’s way. And if you have young children, then keeping your home smoke-free is even more important.
One of the smoking-related reports that hit the headlines on No Smoking Day was a study that had found a link between second-hand smoke and cavities in children. The link between poor oral health and smoking is a long established one, but this is the first time that researchers have found evidence that second-hand smoke can be just as damaging to your teeth and gums when you are breathing in someone else’s smoke. After all, cigarette smoke can still get into your mouth and nose hours after the cigarette has been extinguished!
It is vital that children get the best start possible when it comes to their oral health, and lumbering them with fillings and gum disease because you can’t manage to give up cigarettes is pretty selfish. If you are unable to give up then you should make your home a smoke-free zone; treat it like the pub and go outside for your cigarettes, no matter what the weather is like. You’ll soon find yourself cutting down on the number of cigarettes you smoke a day if you have to stand out in the rain to smoke them. And that will help your own oral health, as well as that of your children.
If you are concerned about the effect that smoking is having on your family’s oral health, then contact Kensington Dental to arrange for check-ups. Your family doctor will be able to give you advice on quitting smoking.
