How do electronic cigarettes affect the teeth?

Question

Vaping has been growing quickly over the past few years, but we aren't sure of the long term health effects.

One of the reasons I began vaping was because I enjoyed smoking, but there were too many downsides not even taking in to consideration that it would eventually kill me.

The big question that is on my mind is how does vaping effect your oral health, more specifically your teeth? Have there been any studies around this?

Answer 1

As with regular smoking, in vaping, one of the biggest threats to your oral health is the presence of nicotine.

It causes the following effects on the physiology of the mouth:

• Inhibit saliva production

which increase susceptible to bacteria buildup, dry mouth, and tooth decay.

• Peridontal disease.: . The periodontal tissues (gums) keep the tooth anchored to the rest of the body. Nicotine can increase incidence of gum problems by the following mechanisms:

  1. Microbiological effect:

     • Smoking increases two or three-fold the ammount of P. Gingivalis, T. Forsythia, bacterias associated with diseased gums

  2. Effect on the Immune system

     • ↓ responsivness of Helper T-cells (adaptative immune response)
     • ↓ functionality of the neutrophiles (innate or non-specific immune response) by inhibiting the production of certaint metabolites necessairy for their antibacterial activity.

  3. Effect on the vascularisation and repaire of the tissues :

     • Reduces blood flow via vasoconstriction, therby slowing the arrival of inflamatory cells to fight off infections and initiate repaire.
     • Therefore, there is also a negative impact on the healing process of the gums, by inhibiting the production of collagen and in fact increasing cllagenase which degrades the collagen.
     • Nicotine also suppresses the proliferation of osteoblasts, which hampers the reconstruction of the bone tissues on which rest the gums.

Others leads to follow:

• Oral Trauma and Tooth Avulsion Following Explosion of E-Cigarette.