Smoking

Smoking is poison – for the teeth too. Besides the well-known dangers to the body from the toxic substances it contains, smokers have a markedly increased risk of losing teeth. The nerve poison nicotine narrows the blood vessels of the gum so that the tissue is no longer supplied with blood normally. Bleeding gums, the first natural warning sign of periodontitis, are suppressed. In addition, highly toxic carbon monoxide reduces the supply of oxygen: the gum lacks vital nutrients and the immune system is weakened. Harmful bacteria can settle unhindered and trigger chronic inflammation. If periodontitis is not treated, it leads to the loss of teeth

Your dentist therefore advises ideal oral hygiene and regular, individual prevention at the practice. Everyone has a personal risk of periodontitis, which should be determined regularly through standardised diagnosis. What is decisive is the state of the structures that anchor the teeth in the jawbone. A special probe is used to measure how far the gum has already come away from the neck of the tooth. Pathologically deepened pockets have to be treated at once if the teeth are to be kept in the long term

Alongside a professional tooth cleaning, the SCAN prevention plan includes precisely this determination of the individual risks for each patient. On that basis the personal health plan is drawn up. Only after a thorough examination and an assessment of the current state of teeth and gums do the dental specialists decide on the kind and extent of treatment. The aim: to detect risks in good time, to reduce them and to keep teeth and gums healthy in the long term. Treating existing inflammation is also more difficult in smokers. Hence our tip: stop the nicotine, give up smoking