This month, we wanted to discuss a topic that often comes up in the dental chair: smoking. You know that smoking can lead to poor dental health, and we wanted to share some ideas on what you can do today to help get you to your goal.
Whether you are smoking cigarettes or using other forms of tobacco, such as chewing tobacco or snuff (dip), the same serious problems can occur. You can develop gum disease that can lead to tooth loss, tissue and bone loss around the roots of the teeth, wearing down or staining of your teeth, and bad breath. Worst of all, these products contain dozens of chemicals known to cause oral cancer.
The best way to prevent these issues is, of course, to never begin using tobacco products of any kind. However, if you have already been using tobacco, it is never too late to quit! You can try these ideas to help you stay committed to quitting:
Avoid temptation. Stay away from people and places that tempt you to smoke or chew.
Change your habits. Switch to juices or water instead of alcohol or coffee. Choose foods that don’t make you want to smoke or chew.
Take a different route to work. Take a brisk walk instead of a tobacco
break.
Choose other things for your mouth. Use substitutes you can put in your mouth like sugarless or xylitol containing gum or hard candy, raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, or sunflower seeds.
Get active. Do something to reduce your stress. Exercise or do something that keeps your hands busy, such as needlework or woodworking, which can help distract you from the urge to use tobacco. Clean out a closet, vacuum the floors, go for a walk, or work in the yard.
Breathe deeply. When you were smoking, you breathed deeply as you inhaled the smoke. When the urge strikes now, breathe deeply and picture your lungs filling with fresh, clean air. Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting and the benefits you’ll gain when you do. Deep breathing may help you also remember that you’re cleaning the toxins from tobacco out of your body.
Delay. If you feel that you’re about to light up, hold off. Tell yourself you must wait at least 10 minutes. Often this simple trick will allow you to move beyond the strong urge to smoke. This works for smokeless tobacco too: wait 10 minutes until the urge lessens.
Reward yourself. What you’re doing isn’t easy, and you deserve a reward. Put the money you would have spent on cigarettes or tobacco in a jar every day and then buy yourself a weekly treat, or save the money for a major purchase.
We want you to know our office cares about your overall health and we are always here to offer guidance and motivation to help you succeed! Ask us anything at your next dental visit, or call us at (303) 666-4260 to schedule a smoking cessation consult with our care team. Dr. Messina, Rachel, and the whole team are here to serve you!
We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!