Dental Needs

Smoking

Globally, smoking related-diseases kill one in 10 adults. That's one death every 8 seconds. By the year 2030, if smoking trends continue, it will kill one in 6 adults. For children and adolescents the statistics are just as daunting. About one in five teens (13 - 15 years of age) smokes and between 80,000 and 100,000 start smoking every day. Approximately 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily, or 10 million every minute.¹ In the US, it is estimated that close to 26 million men and 21 million women are smokers.² The serious risks of smoking or tobacco use are well know, yet each day nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age start smoking. Of those, almost 2,000 will become regular smokers, or approximately 800,000 annually.³

Smoking increases the risk of developing chronic lung disease, lung cancer, premature birth, heart disease and stroke. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular complications in diabetics. Smoking is also a major risk factor for developing periodontal (gum) disease.

• People who smoke are four times more likely to have periodontal disease than non-smokers.
• The heavier you smoke, the more likely you are to have a more severe case of periodontal disease.
• People, who continue to smoke while being treated for periodontitis, will have ~ 50% of the healing response of non-smokers.

Smokers may not have the usual first signs of gum disease such as redness, swelling, and bleeding. The nicotine in cigarettes constricts blood vessels and impairs this response. However, if you look deeper other signs of periodontal disease are present such as bone loss and periodontal pockets.

If you smoke, the most important thing you can do for yourself and your family is to stop. Quitting smoking cannot reverse the past damage done to your teeth, gums and bone, but the disease process slows down significantly and your response to treatment is similar to someone who has never smoked. Cigars, pipe smoking and smokeless tobacco are also risk factors for periodontal disease.

If you have periodontal disease due to current or former smoking, then you need to consider adding a Waterpik® Dental Water Jet to your daily toothbrushing. Studies have shown that people who have been previously treated for periodontal disease who added a Waterpik® Dental Water Jet to their daily routine had better reductions in bleeding and gingivitis than those who did not. Additionally, it is not uncommon to have some pockets remaining after treatment. The biggest problem this creates is keeping the pocket clean. To improve your cleaning of a pocket, use a Waterpik® Dental Water Jet with a tip called the Pik Pocket™ Subgingival Tip. This tip is easy to use and gently cleans deeper into periodontal pockets.

1. World Health Organization. Fact sheets: Smoking Statistics. www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/fact_sheets. Accessed February 5, 2008.
2. American Heart Association. Cigarette Smoking Statistics. www.americanheart.org. Accessed February 5, 2008.
3. American Lung Association. Adolescent Smoking Statistics. www.lungusa.org. Accessed February 5, 2008.