There are a number of bad habits that can be detrimental to your overall health and affect certain parts of your body. Drinking, using recreational drugs, and even smoking cigarettes are among the most addicting bad habits with many long-term effects to your health, but vaping or smoking e-cigarettes can cause as much damage.
While vaping was thought to be a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, it still contains nicotine–a highly addicting chemical compound that can be tough to wean yourself off of. While you’re not infecting your body with harmful tobacco found in cigarettes, vaping can cause just as much damage to your lungs, nervous system, your heart, and potentially your dental health too.
Vaping can cause more harm than good for someone who is looking to cure their cigarette or nicotine addiction, and it can even affect your oral health–so let’s learn about the signs to look out for and what exactly these electronic devices can do to you!
The Dangers of Vaping
Vaping can cause a lot more harm to people’s overall health than they think, including teenagers who are the prime victim in a lot of cases!
Vaping, or smoking e-cigarettes are extremely appealing to many of the younger generations–simply because of the bright colors and flavors that they come in. Not only do they taste better than smoking a cigarette, but they can also be just as damaging with extended long-term use. It’s important to know the risks that go into vaping on a regular basis, what it can do to your body, and why it’s so addicting.
What Makes Vaping So Addictive?
There are a few factors that go into vaping and why so many people–mainly in the younger generations–become so addicted to it. The main factor that makes vaping highly addictive and harmful to many is because it contains nicotine, which is a chemical compound found in tobacco products. It is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream where it can reach the brain within a matter of seconds producing a dopamine release that can help to make you feel good.
There are also a few other reasons that make vaping so much more addictive than even smoking cigarettes. As stated before, vaping can appeal more to teenagers and young adults because of the design of the vape itself, the flavors they can come in, and how it can be considered an activity to participate in at social gatherings. With these three factors taken into consideration, companies that produce vapes can make them seem more appealing than simply smoking a cigarette to make it seem like a “cool” thing to do, or that it isn’t as harmful–but it can still have devastating effects on your overall health.
Symptoms of Nicotine Withdrawal From Vaping
Vaping is highly addictive and many people need to do it several times a day. With the prolonged use of nicotine, you can become addicted to it where your body can experience withdrawal symptoms that include the following:
- Sudden urges or cravings for smoking or vaping
- Feeling a sense of restlessness or jumpy
- Mood swings–including feeling grouchy, angry, irritated, upset, etc.
- Feeling more hungry and gaining weight as a result
- Anxious, sadness, or feeling more depressed
- Not being able to concentrate
- Trouble falling and staying asleep
How Vaping Can Affect Your Overall Health–Even Your Teeth
Vaping can detrimentally hurt not only your overall health but it can even affect your teeth too!
While vaping may seem something that all of the cool kids do, it is actually something to stay far away from simply because of the health risks. There are a lot of issues that prolonged vaping can do to your overall health, which can even affect your teeth too–and it makes it something extremely important to get counseling to prevent any long-term damage.
Tooth Discoloration
One of the first things a chronic e-cigarette user will notice over some extended use of vape products will be tooth discoloration. The chemicals that they pack into the vape juices–including the nicotine and the flavors to create the sweet ones that everyone loves–can stain your teeth over time. Just like coffee or tea, vaping can stain your teeth and turn them into a yellowish or brown color.
Can Cause Cavities
Another reason why many dentists advise their patients to stay away from vaping is not only because it’s bad for your overall health, but also because it can cause cavities. Saliva production is important to help wash away any harmful bacteria and food that is stuck to your teeth. Vaping can reduce the production of saliva and without a proper dental hygiene regimen, it can also lead to an increase in cavities. Dry mouth is one of the most common symptoms of vaping and it could lead into a mess of cavities, root canals, crowns–or worst-case scenario–extractions.
Increased Risk of Gum Disease
One of the most serious diseases that pertain to oral health is gum disease, and an addiction to vaping can lead to it. Vaping can disrupt the oral microbiome in your mouth and lead to a reduction of blood flowing to your gums that can cause irritation. The liquids from the vape juice can cause a build-up of both plaque and bacteria, plus the nicotine can prevent your gums from receiving the oxygen it needs. These two factors together can lead to an increased risk of gum disease and also cause inflammation and a slower healing process too.
Oral Cancer
In a worst-case-scenario, vaping can lead to oral cancer. While it is more common in people who smoke cigarettes, it can also happen to those who vape just as much. This is because of the carcinogenic chemicals that are found in the vape liquid that can damage cells in the mouth and throat. It can also cause inflammation in oral mucosa and oxidative stress that can all contribute to rapidly increasing your risk for cancer.
Other Health Issues Due to Vaping
Not only can vaping greatly compromise your oral health, but it can also affect many other parts of your body too. Some of the other issues that vaping can cause that can take a toll on your health include:
- Higher risk of coughing, sore throats, wheezing, and other upper respiratory system issues
- Chronic headaches and migraines
- Constant coughing
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Severe lung injuries and damage
- Brain damage
- Heart disease
- Many forms of cancer
How to Get Help For Vape Addiction
Once you realize that you have a vaping addiction, getting help is just around the corner!
Just like any other type of recreational drug or even alcohol, it can be easy for people to become addicted to vaping–mainly because of the chemical compounds that make up nicotine. Vaping addiction in the United States is at high and it’s estimated that over 4.7 million people are addicted–and most of that population is high school students.
Steps to Take to Stop Vaping
Vaping can be hard to quit cold turkey and may require some assistance and support from friends, family members, and even a therapist. Addiction can be tough to overcome, but it’s important to keep the mindset that you want it to end and live a healthier and better lifestyle that won’t compromise your health.
Consider taking some of these steps to quit vaping today to live a healthier life without nicotine:
- Find a solid support system (including family, friends, significant others, etc.)
- Seek out therapy
- Find a vaping support group
- Consider nicotine replacements
- Find a new hobby
- Make a quit plan – calculate how much vaping has financially cost you, define triggers, and how you place to face nicotine withdrawal
Put Down the Vape to Save Your Oral Health and Live a Healthier, Better Lifestyle
Vaping can seem like a socially cool thing to do whenever you’re at parties, or out and about hanging out with friends. While socially it may be a fun thing to do, it can wreak havoc on your body–even your oral health. Consider taking in all of the information on how vaping can affect your body and oral health and take the steps to quit today!
If you’re in the Washington, PA area and are interested in an in-person appointment that can provide a ton of insight into the status of your oral health––consider contacting Elizabeth L. Wakim—exceptional smiles start here!
Dr. Elizabeth Wakim, DDS, is the founder of Enhanced Wellness. She’s a compassionate and highly-regarded dentist with her own practice in Washington, Pennsylvania, known for providing modern, comprehensive dental care, botox and facial aesthetics with a focus on patient comfort and anxiety reduction, serving general, cosmetic, and pediatric dentistry needs.
