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It should come as no surprise that smoking has a plethora of unhealthy diseases and illnesses associated with it and with cigarette smoke known to cause the likes of cancer, mouth disease and heart disease, it shouldn’t be a lifestyle choice that you’d want to make.
There’s also so many oral issues that are caused by cigarette smoke including bad breath, decreased taste perception and an increase in plaque build-up. Quitting smoking would not only help to dramatically improve your own health and oral hygiene but it would also significantly reduce the extensive medical costs that are required to treat those with smoking related diseases and illnesses.
It can be said that smoking is so difficult to quit as the substance called nicotine that can be found in tobacco is extremely addictive and therefore makes it incredibly hard for people to give up the habit.
Furthermore, smoking is also known to lead the teeth staining as the tobacco leads to discolouration of the teeth, making them appear yellow. Not only is this damaging to your teeth, but it also looks extremely unpleasant. However, there are a number of treatments available to help counteract stained teeth issues such as bonding and veneers. You may also wish to invest in teeth whitening for your teeth if you feel that the discolouration is particularly bad; this will help you to regain whiter teeth.
Cigarette smoking is a learned behaviour and is a habit that while it may prove to be extremely difficult to give up, it is actually possible. There are a number of behavioural changes and techniques that are required if you want to successfully stop smoking and one of those is that you simply have to ‘unlearn’ these behaviours.
In order to help you quit smoking, you should first learn about your smoking patterns; if you become aware of how often you smoke and when exactly you have a cigarette, you can pinpoint the exact ‘trigger’ points that cause you to have a cigarette.
One of the most common reasons that people smoke is due to stress so it’s a good idea to try and reduce the stresses in your life as much as possible. While this may seem much easier said than done, if you manage to find a happy medium with regards to the things that trigger your stresses, then you may find it much easier to quit smoking.
Another alternative would be to find another ‘habit’ that is much healthier to replace your cigarette addiction. For example, you could go for a run, meet a friend for coffee or even something as simple as meditate.
The age old saying of going ‘cold turkey’ is one that definitely applies to smoking. If you’re serious about quitting smoking then you may wish to quit immediately and never have a cigarette again but if you’ve been a smoker for a very long time then that could prove to be extremely difficult. A good way to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke is by gradually reducing both the frequency of smoking as well as the number of cigarettes that you smoke.
As well as stress, boredom is another common trigger for smoking so when you’re looking to quit, you should try and keep yourself as busy as possible by keeping your hands occupied as much as you can. You may find yourself missing the feeling of having a cigarette in your hands, therefore you should try something like a stress ball, twiddling a pencil or even just something as simple as a paper clip.
It’s certainly not an easy feat to give up smoking but once you do, you’re sure to see the immense benefits! Your oral hygiene will improve dramatically and you’ll no longer feel that ‘fuzzy’ sensation on your teeth. You’ll also seen a significant improvement in your health overall and you’ll generally feel a whole lot better!
However, if you feel any sensation or any other problem, you can always visit your nearest Oxford House Dental Practice on the Aylesbury Street. Book your free dental consultation today, visit our website homepage.
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