Smoking while having braces can cause serious damage to your teeth and the Orthodontic treatment you’re receiving.
We all know that smoking cigarettes and tobacco can be harmful to your health in a variety of different ways. But, do you consider smoking while having braces a concern to your oral health?
In this blog post, we will answer the question of “Can you smoke with braces?”, and we’ll give you our expert tips on quitting before your treatment begins.
CAN YOU SMOKE WITH BRACES?
It may be obvious, but at Straight Smiles, we highly suggest that you do not smoke while having braces.
Smoking and braces is like putting oil and water together. It just doesn’t work. Smoking while having braces puts the risk of severely staining the teeth. Furthermore, by smoking, you put the risk of not having them recover their original white, clean exterior when your braces are removed along with a number of oral health problems.
Who wants yellow teeth after you’ve just gotten them aligned? We want you to have clean, white teeth that are aligned and ready for their close up! This can’t happen if you smoke.
HOW DOES SMOKING AFFECT YOUR TEETH?
When you smoke, it reduces your ability to fight off oral health issues like tooth decay. This happens because smoking makes a person’s mouth more prone to plaque and extra toxins that are ingested through smoking.
Smoking causes major damage to the bones in your mouth as well as your gums. You need healthy bones and healthy gums in order to complete your Orthodontic treatment. If you smoke while having braces on, you are committing yourself to have a lower success rate because of your addiction. You can see it as smoking your money away that it supposed to go towards aligning your teeth.
If you are committed to investing in fixing your teeth with braces, you should become committed to quitting smoking.
Dr. James Scramstad of Straight Smiles says that smoking can affect orthodontic treatment and in a very negative way. While it’s a bad idea of smoking and having braces, it’s just as bad if you are undergoing Invisalign treatment.
Smoking can discolour the aligners and it can affect the ability of your teeth to move. The chemicals in cigarettes, pipes and chewing tobacco affects the tissue in your body. Your teeth can not move into the correct position with braces or Invisalign if your tissue isn’t healthy.
Good oral health is simply the key to successful Orthodontic treatment.
Preventing gum disease, weak bones and loose tissue involves brushing, flushing, regular cleanings, not smoking and visiting Dr. James Scramstad at Straight Smiles.
HOW CAN I QUIT?
If you are willing to quit tobacco when you receive your Orthodontic Treatment, you are going to notice an array of health benefits.
Much of the damage smoking causes to your mouth can be reversed if you abstain from smoking completely. Even if it’s just while you’re receiving Orthodontic treatment, you will notice the difference in your oral health and overall lung function.
We hope that if you quit for your treatment, you will remain a smoke-free individual after your teeth are aligned.
If you’re planning to quit, we suggest that you read “Easy Way To Smoke Smoking” by Allen Carr. It’s an easy read with valuable information about smoking and quitting to save your life.
Another way is to prep yourself. Slowly lower the number of smokes you have a day. This will make it easier to quit when the braces are put on.
If neither of these two work, you can try quitting cold turkey as it’s the best option for some people or using quitting aids like smoking patches or gum.
If you need more information about why you can’t smoke with braces, contact us today. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about smoking and braces. We want to help you get on the right track to quit.
Your teeth and your smile will thank you for putting them first.
