Voila! You have met electronic cigarettes. Their thing is being safe. It is said that vaping is much less harmful than smoking, and is a good alternative to protect your health. But can it really be trusted? We all know about the horrible effects of smoking on teeth, such as staining and destroying overall oral health. These are some of the biggest complaints of smokers. So can vaping be trusted not to do that? Does vaping make your teeth yellow?
We know that electronic cigarettes also contain nicotine like tobacco products. Can vaping nicotine make your teeth yellow? Is vaping bad for your teeth? In this article, we will seek answers to such questions. First, we will focus on our first question: “does vaping make your teeth yellow”, and then we will look at vaping effects on teeth in general. Then we will talk about methods for how to get yellow stains off your teeth. So let’s get started.
Does vaping nicotine make your teeth yellow?
Vaping is considered a less harmful alternative to smoking in many ways. Staining is also one of the areas where vaping is claimed to be less harmful. Vape companies say that since vapes do not contain tar, it does not cause teeth discoloration.
The main cause of tooth discoloration in smokers is the tar found in traditional cigarettes. As you smoke, this substance fills the pores in your teeth and changes the color of your teeth with its dark color. Therefore, since vapes do not contain tar, the rate of staining your teeth will be less. However, the chances are not zero.
Although much less effective than tar, nicotine is also a substance that can stain your teeth. So does vaping make your teeth yellow? Yes! It is not as dense as tar. But it also fills the pores on your teeth, and when it encounters oxygen, it takes on a yellowish color. Over time, this can leave stains on your teeth and even turn them into a yellowish color too. It does not cause as much staining as tar, but it will cause tooth discoloration at a certain level with long-term use. Besides, many vape users use various flavors. These flavors are obtained with e-liquids. Some e-liquids may also contain dyes. These flavors and dyes can also cause discoloration on your teeth.
Why does vaping make my teeth go black?
Under normal circumstances, vaping alone should not cause this. However, if the electronic cigarettes get overheated, the burned parts of the coils may reach your teeth and cause black stains. To prevent this, you should use and clean your electronic cigarettes correctly. If you are a vape user, you should also be careful about the e-liquid flavors you use.
What does vaping do to your teeth?
Vaping is still the subject of much debate as a relatively new trend. There are many controversial ideas about its effects and harms. However, there are certain things we know for sure. Although its carcinogenicity is controversial, there is a lot of concrete data showing that it negatively affects dental health.
Vaping may seem more innocent compared to cigarettes, but it increases the risk of deterioration of your oral health compared to someone who does not use any nicotine products. It triggers a process leading to dental caries and tooth discoloration by causing dry mouth and gum disease. The flavors in e-liquids can contain very harmful components. At the same time, some of these are sugary and may contain sugar. Now we will examine together how these damage your teeth.
Is vaping bad for your teeth?
Yes, it is. It is said to be safer than traditional cigarettes, but this does not mean that it is completely harmless. As we said before, it can cause aesthetic problems by causing tooth discoloration. However, aesthetic problems are not the only bad result. It can also cause many problems that will spoil your health.
When you search for this on the internet, you come across two types of resources; vape companies and medical sites. Vape companies claim that vaping is far less harmful than traditional cigarettes, they don’t cause serious diseases, etc. What we must remember is, in the 50s for example even doctors were starring in cigarette advertisements. They were claiming that cigarettes are healthy, telling people to smoke for their health, and stuff like that. Today we all agree that smoking is an extremely dangerous habit for health. So, as a relatively new trend, there isn’t enough research on the long-term effects of vaping. It seems wiser to be a little skeptical about the optimism of these new trends. At the end of the day, it is your health that is the subject of the bet.
We will now look at a few of the problems we know vaping can create. We also know that just nicotine by itself can damage your enamel, the outer layer of your teeth. This can increase the risk of tooth decay. A weakened enamel also means tooth sensitivity.
You will have a dry mouth
The hydrogen glycone contained in e-liquids is a hydrophilic compound. So it absorbs water. One of the main problems experienced by electronic cigarette users is dry mouth. Vapes cause your salivary glands to not produce enough saliva. Thus, the necessary production of saliva in your mouth cannot be achieved. Saliva is a very effective secretion for both the digestion of food and oral hygiene and health. Tissues that are not sufficiently exposed to saliva dry out. They cannot be cleaned thoroughly. This paves the way for bacterial growth and tooth decay.
You will have bad breath! Ugh, who wants that?
We said that less saliva and a dry mouth will prevent your mouth from being cleaned and cause bacteria to multiply. This situation, that is, poor oral hygiene, will accelerate the formation of plaque and tartar in your mouth. It causes many serious problems from gum disease to dental caries. These are all conditions that will cause bad breath. Caries, plaque, tartar, and the waste produced by bacteria living in all these places will cause unpleasant halitosis, aka bad breath.
You will most probably face gum disease
When there is not enough saliva, food residues remain in the nooks and crannies of the mouth, and the growth of bacteria that feed on them cannot be prevented. These bacteria collect in your gum lines, and form plaque and tartar. These structures secrete harmful, infectious waste to nearby tissues. If left untreated, this condition can increase the risk of gum disease. Slowed down blood circulation from nicotine also negatively affects your body’s immune system. Making your gums more vulnerable to such infections.
Vaping may lead to gums receding
If you develop gum disease because of constant vape usage, and it goes untreated, your gums might begin to recede. Infections spread by bacteria cause your gums to swell, bleed and eventually retract. In its advanced stages, this exposes your tooth roots and causes the bone tissue under the gum to erode. Your gums and bones are supportive tissues that keep your teeth firmly in place. Problems that have to do with your gums will eventually affect your teeth. When untreated, these infections can cause problems such as receding gums, bone loss, loose teeth, and eventually tooth loss.
Your tooth will decay
Some e-liquid flavors may contain sugar. Sugar is the number one food for the bacteria living in your mouth. These flavors containing sugar can feed these bacteria with the sugary residues they leave in your mouth. Thus, bacteria multiply on your teeth and cause plaque and tartar formation. This is the number one cause of tooth decay. In short, sweet flavored vapes can cause tooth decay.
Your blood circulation will slow down
One of the main effects of nicotine is that it slows blood circulation. Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, blocking blood flow. Your veins become harder, immobile, and narrow. The slowed blood circulation prevents enough nutrients and oxygen from being transported to the organs and tissues in your body. This can create problems in these organs. At the same time, your heart makes an extra effort to meet its oxygen needs, and your heart rate may increase in this way.
You will slow down your wound recovery
This is one of the problems caused by the slowing effect of nicotine on blood vessels. Healing of wounds will be slowed down because enough nutrients and materials cannot be transported to the injured tissues. At the same time, your saliva is a critical factor in the healing of wounds in your mouth. The dry mouth problem caused by vaping will also make your wounds more difficult to heal.
There is a possibility of oral cancer
First of all, we need to state again that since electronic cigarettes are a relatively new trend, we do not have enough data about their long-term use results. Many studies say we don’t have valid information to say that vaping causes cancer. However, we also know that electronic cigarettes can produce up to 15 times more formaldehyde than regular cigarettes when overheated. This is an agent that can cause cancer. It’s likely to pose a danger to both your lungs and the tissues in your mouth. Although these results are not observed in normal use, it may be a little early to trust this new trend. E-liquids may also contain heavy metals and substances such as acetaldehyde and acrolein. These are substances also known to be carcinogenic.
How to get yellow stains off your teeth
Now we know vaping nicotine makes your teeth go yellow. Getting rid of yellowed teeth is a vexing problem that many people want to solve. There are many solutions for this that you can apply both at home and in the dental clinic. First of all, of course, you need to follow a good oral hygiene routine. You can find bleaching products containing hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide in many places. These are whitening agents. There are also kinds of toothpaste specially made for smokers and coffee drinkers. You can whiten your teeth by using products containing them at home. However, it should be noted that the use of these agents requires caution. You may experience some problems with excessive use. In-office dental teeth whitening applications are also made using these agents, but a specialist doctor applies them. So you can get the highest efficiency by minimizing the possibility of damage.
References:
Holliday R, Chaffee BW, Jakubovics NS, Kist R, Preshaw PM. Electronic Cigarettes and Oral Health. J Dent Res. 2021 Aug;100(9):906-913. doi: 10.1177/00220345211002116. Epub 2021 Mar 25. PMID: 33764176; PMCID: PMC8293737.
Irusa KF, Vence B, Donovan T. Potential oral health effects of e-cigarettes and vaping: A review and case reports. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2020 Apr;32(3):260-264. doi: 10.1111/jerd.12583. Epub 2020 Apr 3. PMID: 32243711.
Almeida-da-Silva CLC, Matshik Dakafay H, O’Brien K, Montierth D, Xiao N, Ojcius DM. Effects of electronic cigarette aerosol exposure on oral and systemic health. Biomed J. 2021 Jun;44(3):252-259. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2020.07.003. Epub 2020 Jul 24. PMID: 33039378; PMCID: PMC8358192.