Smoking, Gum Disease and Tooth Loss

What gum disease is

Gum (periodontal) disease is an infection of the gums that can damage the bone holding your teeth. In severe cases, teeth fall out. Smoking is an important cause of severe gum disease in the United States.

How it develops:

1. Bacteria on the teeth get under the gums.
2. Left too long, they build layers of plaque (a film) and tartar (hardened plaque).
3. That causes early gum disease — gingivitis.
4. As it worsens, gums pull away from the teeth, leaving spaces that get infected — severe gum disease, or periodontitis.
5. The bone and tissue holding the teeth can break down; teeth may loosen and have to be pulled.

Warning signs

• red or swollen gums;
• tender or bleeding gums;
• painful chewing;
• loose teeth;
• sensitive teeth;
• gums that have pulled away from the teeth.

How smoking makes it worse

Smoking weakens the immune system, making gum infections harder to fight — and once gums are damaged, harder to heal. If you smoke:

• your risk of gum disease is twice a nonsmoker's;
• the more you smoke, and the longer, the higher the risk;
• treatment may not work as well.

All tobacco — cigarettes, pipes and smokeless (spit) tobacco — raises the risk.

Prevention

• brush twice a day;
• floss often to remove plaque;
• see a dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings;
• don't smoke — and if you do, quit.

Treatment

• Early gum disease (gingivitis): regular professional cleanings plus daily brushing and flossing.
• More severe disease may need:
• • deep cleaning below the gum line;
  • a prescription mouth rinse or medicine;
  • surgery to remove tartar deep under the gums;
  • surgery to help restore bone or gum lost to periodontitis — using small bits of bone to fill gaps, or moving tissue from elsewhere in the mouth to cover exposed roots.

Quitting smoking or spit tobacco helps gums heal after treatment.

Free help to quit: call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (in Spanish, 1-855-DÉJELO-YA); text QUITNOW to 333888; or visit CDC's quit-smoking pages or Smokefree.gov.

One story: Felicita R. smoked and lost all her teeth by age 50 — she didn't know smoking could harm her gums and teeth.

Sources

Based on "Smoking, Gum Disease, and Tooth Loss," Tips From Former Smokers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The page's portrait photograph and Smokefree.gov banner are not reproduced.