Is Vaping Bad for Your Teeth?
The short answer is yes… Vaping could affect your teeth and/or gums in several ways. Although more research is needed, studies suggest vaping could cause you to experience dry mouth, gum inflammation and higher levels of oral bacteria....It’s common knowledge these days that smoking can have disastrous effects on your oral health, and the colour of your teeth. If you smoke, it’s not just the notorious teeth yellowing and staining you need to worry about. Smoking can damage your mouth in many ways. But is vaping any better?
What we know about vaping and oral health
More people than ever are making the switch from smoking to vaping in order to help them quit smoking. We must all know about the negative effects of smoking on teeth and gums by now. Many of them are very visible. However many people might still be unsure whether vaping is really any better.
There are only a few published studies on the effects of vaping on teeth. But the evidence we do have certainly suggests that vaping is far less harmful. It will certainly not have the same long-term negative effects as smoking. So let’s take a look at what we do know.
Does Vaping Stain Your Teeth?
The jury’s out on this one. It is certainly true that as nicotine oxidizes it can develop a yellow colour. However from the study above, we know that nicotine-containing vapour doesn’t seem to stain teeth even as badly as red wine or coffee. Many vapers that give up smoking completely notice a big change in the colour of their teeth once they quit. Getting a specialist dental hygienist to clean your teeth regularly is a great idea once you have quit.
While the research is certainly promising, it’s worth noting that the 2-week timeframe is quite limited, and we’d probably benefit more from a study conducted over a longer period of time. Hopefully more research is carried out soon which should eliminate any remaining doubt.
It’s also worth pointing out that the e-liquid used in the study was colourless – vape juices with bright-coloured dye could be a completely different story so stay away from these if you’re concerned about your teeth becoming stained.
Is Vaping Bad for Your Gums?
Smokers are significantly more at risk of gum disease than non-smokers. Smoking is known to harm gum health and can cause a range of problems. These include swollen, sore and bleeding gums and even tooth loss. All of these are caused by the toxic chemicals deposited in the tar in tobacco smoke. Some scientists believe the reduction in smokers’ blood oxygen level can make this worse. But what about vaping? In short, yes, vaping may still have the potential to cause some issues with your gums.
Smoking is a known menace to gum health which can cause a range of issues including swollen, sore and/or bleeding gums and even tooth loss. But does vaping also cause damage to our gums? In short, yes, vaping does have the potential to cause some issues with your gums.
The reason for this is that many of the negative effects smoking has on your gums isn’t actually caused by the smoke, but rather the nicotine. Nicotine dries out our mouth and when we vape we’re exposing our gums to hot vapour which also removes moisture and can put you at higher risk of gum disease.
The good news is while vaping is hardly great for your gums, it’s nowhere near as bad as smoking. So if you’re vaping as a means to quit smoking, try to look at it from a harm reduction point of view.
Does Vaping Cause Cavities?
If you like to vape sweet-tasting flavours, such as disposables or our The Juiceman Bar, you might be wondering if they can cause tooth decay. Some e-liquids do contain sugar and coating your mouth all day long with vapour containing sugar certainly won’t do your teeth any favours. The good news is that none of our e-liquids contain sugar.
Due to the sweet nature of e-liquid, many people believe vaping could cause cavities. Indeed, some e-liquids do contain sugar and constantly filling your mouth with sugar-rich vapour certainly won’t do your teeth any favours, so if you’re concerned about tooth decay then these vape juices are probably best avoided.
Thankfully not all vape juices contain sugar and you’ll be glad to know that all of our e-liquids are sugar-free. Instead, the sweetness of our products comes from artificial sweeteners – mainly sucralose – and thankfully these are considered non-cariogenic, which means they don’t contribute towards tooth decay.
Does Vaping Cause Mouth Cancer?
Perhaps one of the biggest risks with smoking and the health of your mouth is not cosmetic however. The risk of oral cancer is about 5 to 10 times greater among smokers compared to people who have never smoked. carbon monoxide and tar, neither of which are present in vapour, cause the vast majority of smoking-related cancers. The dangerous chemicals contained in tobacco smoke cause oral cancer.
When it comes to mouth cancer, those who smoke are a whopping 10 times more likely to develop the disease compared to those who don’t, while two-thirds of mouth cancers are linked to smoking. Considering this, it’s natural for those transitioning from smoking to vaping to wonder if e-cigarettes also pose a risk.
If you’re one of those who’s a little unsure, we’re glad to tell you there’s no risk of developing mouth cancer from vaping. The vast majority of smoking-related cancers are caused by carbon monoxide and tar, and neither of these are present when we vape so hopefully that’ll put any worries to bed.
So is vaping bad for your teeth? The short answer is no, not if you vape the right type of e-liquids. With that said, some vape juices could cause damage to your teeth so if you want to avoid cavities and staining then you should steer clear of e-liquids which contain sugar and/or colourings.
It’s also worth taking into account why you’re vaping. If you’re a non-smoker and you picked up vaping as a hobby then the slight risk of damaging your teeth might not be worth it. On the other hand, if you’re using your vape as an alternative to smoking then the risk of stains or damage is massively reduced.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR TEETH AND GUMS WHILE VAPING?
I think it’s probably safe to say that vaping isn’t good for your teeth and gums.
But there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of oral health problems while vaping;
Drink plenty of water
I always make sure to drink at least 3 litres of water a day to keep me hydrated while vaping. Many oral health problems caused by vaping can be linked back to dehydration and it’s important to drink plenty of fluids to combat this. It’s not just good for oral health either… Drinking more water is great for your skin and kidneys too!
Maintain the proper oral health routine
By this I mean to make sure you brush twice a day, floss once a day and visit your dentist at least once a year. We all know there’s really no substitute for brushing and taking proper care of your mouth.
Reduce the nicotine in your e-liquid
The debate regarding oral health while vaping is heavily focused on the use of nicotine in your e-juice. It’s a well known fact that nicotine is a known contributor to gum disease and poor oral health. By reducing the nicotine in your e-liquid, you reduce this risk…
Start oil pulling
Oil pulling is the process of ‘swishing’ oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes every morning before breakfast. It sounds crazy I know… And to be fair, you’re likely to look pretty crazy while doing it! BUT, speaking from experience I can promise you it’ll make a difference to the health of your teeth and gums
