Now more and more people choose to vape e-cigarettes instead of smoking traditional cigarettes, and with it comes a question: Is vaping bad for oral health?

There are many researches about the differences between vaping and smoking, next we will list the differences and make a conclusion to answer the above question.

1.Will vaping give you a bad breath?

Smokers usually have a bad breath because when they smoking cigarettes, the particles and chemicals in cigarettes will remain in their mouth and lungs for a long time, which is one of the leading causes of bad breath. The inhaled hot gases by smoking will dry out the mouth which makes anaerobic oral bacteria reproduce causing halitosis.

Vaping also creates hot gases and dryness, which is similar to smoking. However, vaping will not produce the chemicals with a particular pungent smell when you inhale and exhale, causing no bad smell and bad breath. And you feel dryness in your mouth when vaping because the PG and VG in your vaping e-liquid is hygroscopic, which will take a lot of moisture of mouth. It could be mitigated by drinking more water to add moisture after vaping. 

2.Will vaping make your teeth stained?

It is obvious that smoking can cause the teeth yellow and stained. This is mainly because of the nicotine and tar produced from burning cigarette. These particles of tar and nicotine will get stuck in the surface and inner of teeth, causing the discolouration, normally a yellow or brownish in colour, to the teeth.

Unlike smoking, vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the e-liquid vapour heated by an electric device called vaporizer or e-cigarette. During this process of without burning, there is no tar, which means there is a much lower chance of any staining taking place. 

3.Will vaping cause gum disease?

Gum disease is a serious problem and smokers are at twice the risk of it. This is because when you smoke you weaken your immune system and your body’s ability to fight infection. Also a build-up of dental calculus around the base of the tooth can be a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to periodontal (gum) disease and tissue damage. 

Again, vaping doesn’t cause such tissue damage for it will not slow tissue regeneration or cause dental calculus to build up. It means that you will be at a much lower risk of gum disease by vaping.  

4.Will vaping cause mouth cancer?

The truth is we don’t know yet. At present what we do know is that when smoking your DNA, including the key genes that protect us from cancer., is damaged. Many of the chemicals in cigarettes also make this damage much worse, greatly increasing the risk of cancer.

Luckily, most of these chemicals are absent from vaping e-liquid, therefore greatly reducing the chance of DNA damage. We can’t say for sure that vaping will not cause cancer, however, in fact, Public Health England estimates that e-cigarettes are ‘around 95% safer than smoking’. 

Summary

In conclusion, vaping is far better for your oral health, teeth, gums and breath than smoking. And for all of us who are trying to quit smoking and take better care of our bodies, it is advisable to take step in vaping.