Let’s begin with some visualisation: Picture a beach, cocktails, warm sunshine… or perhaps that new piece of jewellery you’ve been eyeing in the shop window for the past year… Whatever treat your heart currently desires, know it can potentially be yours if you manage to quit smoking today. Think of all the extra pockets you’ll need for the cash normally resolved for your smoking habit… perhaps a new coat would be practical?! Jokes aside though, welcome to National No Smoking Day 2018! Today’s the day you join the 1 in 10 smokers who successfully quit on this annual health awareness day. Yes, you can do this. No time like the present.
The UK campaign provides smokers with a sense of community support and reams of information required to kick that expensive and controlling habit once and for all. Since 1984, No Smoking Day has taken place on the second Wednesday of March and focuses on a different tagline each year. This year’s campaign is reinforced by a social media drive using the hashtag #tellusyourway, which seeks to encourage quitters to share with others their personal success stories and the winning way in which they achieved their goal.
Keep this in mind – no matter how long you’ve used tobacco products, quitting now can significantly reduce your risk of gum disease, tooth loss and many other oral health problems. In fact, over time, many of these health risks will diminish until they are almost at levels for non-smokers. Now THAT’s incentive! Plus, once you quit, you’ll be delighted to hear that your body will find it easier and quicker to heal from infections or injury, and the effectiveness of any gum disease treatments will be increased. You will also start to feel a boost in self esteem and confidence as your breath becomes fresher and your teeth are no longer subjected to the staining onslaught from nicotine. In fact, there’s an idea… once your saved pennies start to add up, why don’t you consider popping in to the practice for some advice on tooth whitening treatments? Teeth whitening is simpler and more affordable than ever before, so this is certainly something worth considering if you plan to treat yourself to a reward afterwards!
We are all aware of the benefits to quitting by now, but with regards to your teeth, allow us to remind you of a few important points. Bear in mind that smokers tend to suffer from increased plaque and tartar build up, which leads to decay. Smokers therefore suffer from twice as many cases of tooth loss and infected roots. As smoking diminishes the body’s immune system, this makes it hard to fight back against infection. This means that smokers are up to 6 times more likely to develop gum disease and mouth cancers compared to non-smokers. Furthermore, did you know that smoking can actually mask symptoms of gum disease and prevent healing? As a smoker, you may feel like your teeth and gums are in good shape but this could simply be an illusion created by nicotine. The drug shuts down your blood vessels so that over time the blood supply to your gums decreases. When you stop smoking, nicotine is no longer hitting your mouth, so with increased vascularity you may find that your gums bleed more frequently for a while… but don’t panic! This simply means that your symptoms of inflammation are no longer being masked and steps can be taken to get your dental health back on the road to recovery.
Quitting is achievable. Please believe that you can, and you will. Our friendly team will do nothing but support you in your journey, so seize the moment and make today a fresh start. Don’t look back.