Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. smoke and 4.7 million middle and high school students use a tobacco product including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
No matter how you look at it – whether you smoke, chew tobacco, or vape e-cigarettes – the use of tobacco products can cause serious health problems, including extreme damage to the health of your gums and teeth.
Before you light up that cigarette, vape or chew tobacco, Western Dental & Orthodontics urges people to consider the damage it can have to your teeth and overall oral hygiene:
“Western Dental cautions all its patients about the dangers of smoking and the use of tobacco products,” said Dr. John Luther, Chief Dental Officer at Western Dental. “Smoking causes gum disease to progress faster, leading to the loss of teeth.”
Smokers and tobacco users have twice the risk for gum disease compared to a non-smoker. While some think vaping is safer, it can also cause tooth decay, gum inflammation, and excessive bacteria in your mouth.
If you are a smoker and trying to quit, Western Dental recommends the following to avoid gum disease:
ABOUT WESTERN DENTAL
Western Dental (with its affiliates, including Brident Dental & Orthodontics, Access Dental, Blue Hills Dental, South Texas Dental and Vital Smiles) is one of the nation’s largest dental providers and is the leader in accessible, affordable oral healthcare, serving approximately 2.9 million patient visits annually in 317 affiliated offices throughout California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Alabama. In addition to general dentistry, Western Dental offers orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and endodontics in its offices, creating a convenient full service “Dental Home.”
In California, Western Dental is the leading provider of services to both adults and children in the Denti-Cal program – part of the Medi-Cal public insurance program that provides health care benefits for more than 13 million low-income individuals and families. Western Dental dentists provided care to more than a half-million Denti-Cal beneficiaries in 2017 and is committed to continuing to partner with the State to improve the program. In Texas, Western Dental is the leading provider of Medicaid services and recently entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement to participate in a value-based care and payment model under the state’s Medicaid program.
All of Western Dental’s services are backed by a unique quality assurance system that electronically monitors all patient visits, treatments, dental staff and clinical performance to enable high-quality care. To learn more about Western Dental or inquire about an office in your community, visit www.westerndental.com or call 1-800-6-DENTAL.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190508005045/en/
Bill Halldin
Office: 916-781-0657
Cell: 916-718-1251
Bill@halldinpr.com