It’s no secret that smoking can be incredibly detrimental to the health of your teeth, and the more that you smoke – the worse the condition of your teeth will get. It’s not just the discoloration to consider either, in fact gum disease, tooth decay and general enamel deterioration has been linked to smoking; so how extensive a toll can a hookah or shisha pipe take on your oral health?

The truth is that smoking in any form, regardless of the resource being inhaled, is very bad for your teeth and gums – and our Orem dentists know exactly why. It’s all about the toxins in the smoke caused from waterpipes, and where cigarettes often emit a much lesser amount of smoke as you inhale – the equivalent of a few cubic millimeters per inhalation – a hookah waterpipe affords 25 times that amount. This means that just four inhalations could be like smoking 100 cigarettes.

The Research

In 2015, it was discovered by the American Dental Association that both oral cancer and gum disease can be directly linked to the smoking of a shisha pipe. These are just two of the most unwanted effects of the activity, and others includes esophageal cancer, lung cancer and dry sockets. The fatality rate for these illnesses is much higher than medical experts would like, and so it stands to good reason why we strongly discourage the activity.

The Common Causes of These Events

As expected, the cause is tobacco – and as it is not uncommon for people to get together in groups in order to smoke waterpipes, the risk of first hand and second hand smoking is even greater than any other form of smoking. The concentration of tobacco is typically so high that even a single waterpipe can emit enough smoke to amount to hundreds of cigarettes at a time, and considering that the second hand smoke emanated will put your lungs at risk too – it becomes obvious why the activity is so actively discouraged by medical industries around the world.

Although it’s very tempting to enjoy an evening smoking a shisha pipe, the fact is that you will typically walk away having smoked the equivalent of a hundred cigarettes at the very minimum. Considering the immediate health risks to your mouth, throat and lungs – it’s no wonder why cases of these types of cancer are on the rise. As the activity offers smokers a way to enjoy a special type of tobacco (typically flavored or scented), the additional preservatives and flavors provide an even greater health risk. The better option would be to stop smoking altogether, to ensure that your mouth remains healthy