Smoking is a bad habit, which in some cases can become an addiction. There are people who smoke occasionally and people who have to smoke on every other occasion. You might be a chain smoker or just happen to enjoy a few cigarettes a day, it doesn’t matter. Be it one or one whole pack; smoking affects your oral health mainly your teeth and gums.

Some of the noticeable dental and gum problems due to smoking include:

• Bad breath and discoloration of your teeth.
• Inflammation on the roof of your mouth, where the salivary glands are located.
• Risks of developing oral cancer due to nicotine in the tobacco.

There are treatments to quit smoking and help gums recover, however, willpower on your part coupled with restraint is the best way to start some of these treatments.

Smoking weakens the body’s immune system which is needed to fight off gum diseases and related oral infections which might be the cause of the same. Kicking the habit is a start, but maintaining proper oral hygiene after that is one of the treatments to quit smoking and help gums recover quickly.

Smoking increases the risk of periodontal disease which affects the alveolar bone where the teeth is embedded, the periodontal ligament which supports the root of the teeth and the cementum which is the surface that connects the teeth to your alveolar bone. It might be very difficult at first to kick the habit, but nicotine patches have proved to be quite an effective treatment to quit smoking and help gums recover from months or even years of unhealthy exposure to tobacco.