Can a dentist tell if you vape? Well, that may seem like a simple question, but the answer is somewhat complicated. There are several factors to consider when a dentist determines if you vape or not.

The first consideration is how often you vape. The more you vape, the more obvious it will be to your dentist that you vape. Another consideration is if you only vape, or if you vape and smoke cigarettes. Because both have nicotine, they can cause the same side effects in your mouth. 

So, how can a dentist tell if you vape? There are some straightforward signs that can tell the dentist that you do. 

How Can a Dentist Tell if You Vape? Signs That Give You Away

• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Dry mouth
• Tobacco stomatitis, or smoker’s palate, which are sores on the roof of your mouth
• Yellow or brown nicotine stains on your teeth and tongue
• Recessed gums and gum disease
• Canker sores
• Black hairy tongue, which is unpleasant but harmless
• Oral thrush (smoking is a risk factor for this mild yeast infection) 
• Breathing difficulties or smoker’s cough

Are Smoking and Vaping Bad for Your Teeth?

The short and straightforward answer to if smoking and vaping is bad for your teeth is yes. Smoking and vaping have serious effects that are bad for your teeth, tongue, mouth, lips, throat, and even more. 

Vaping and smoking increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer, especially oral cancers. Studies have found that 90% of people diagnosed with oral cancers are smokers. It is obvious that vaping and smoking should be avoided to prevent serious health consequences. There has also not been enough data found to know if vaping is actually better than smoking, so it is probably best to avoid both if you can.

What Does Vaping Do to Your Mouth?

Now that it has been established that smoking and vaping are bad for your teeth, let’s take a deeper look at some of the effects they have on your teeth.

Teeth Yellow and Brown

Nicotine is a chemical compound found in tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco. It is one of the primary contributors to the yellowing and browning of teeth in individuals who use these products. 

When tobacco products are burned and inhaled or chewed, they produce a thick, sticky substance called tar. Nicotine, which is highly soluble in water, combines with the tar and other chemicals in tobacco. Over time, these residues can accumulate on the teeth, forming a layer that is difficult to remove.

Nicotine and tar have a natural affinity for tooth enamel, and it can bind to the porous enamel surface and cause staining. This staining can range from yellowish to brownish in color, depending on the duration and frequency of tobacco use.

Dry Mouth

Most e-liquids used in vaping contain ingredients that lead to dry mouth because they absorb moisture. When you inhale vaporized e-liquid, it can absorb moisture from the oral cavity, leading to a sensation of dryness.

Nicotine also plays a factor in dry mouth. Nicotine can reduce blood flow to the salivary glands, which are responsible for producing saliva. Reduced blood flow can hinder the normal functions of these glands, resulting in decreased saliva production and dry mouth.

Dry mouth is not only uncomfortable but can also have negative consequences for oral health. Saliva plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy mouth by helping to wash away food particles, neutralize acids, and protect against tooth decay and gum disease. Dry mouth can cause cracked lips and bad breath, affect the taste of food, and bring on more cavities. 

Mouth Burns

Vaping can cause mouth burns or oral injuries. Vaping devices typically contain hot vapor, and when users draw in this hot vapor, it can come into contact with the delicate tissues of the mouth. This exposure to high temperatures can result in burns or scalds, similar to the way hot food or beverages can burn the mouth.

Some vaping devices may malfunction, leading to overheating or other issues that can increase the risk of burns. Advanced vaping devices with adjustable power settings can produce extremely hot vapor at high wattages. Using these types of devices also increases the risk of burns if users are not cautious. 

Reduce Impacts of Vaping on Oral Health

Although vaping can create major problems for your oral health, there are some simple precautions you can take to reduce the impacts of vaping.

Brush Your Teeth

Brush your teeth using a fluoride-containing toothpaste. One of the most effective ways to take care of your teeth and mouth is to brush your teeth for two full minutes twice a day. Using fluoride-containing toothpaste helps remove plaque caused by vaping and can keep your mouth significantly cleaner.

Floss Daily 

Another major action to take is to floss every day. Flossing helps those who vape keep their teeth and gums clean and healthy. Plaque can be removed from teeth easier with floss than just brushing. Floss can get between the teeth, and it helps reduce the risk of cavities and tooth decay.

Regular Dental Visits

Scheduling dental appointments regularly is one of the most effective ways to keep your mouth and teeth healthy. How can a dentist tell if you vape? Well, they have years of training to recognize issues in the mouth. Dentists have tools and access to products that can treat your mouth and whatever problems you may be experiencing. It is important to be open with your dentist about your vaping habits so he or she can give you the best treatment for you.

Schedule a Visit With Us

If you are looking for a reliable dental office to help you care for your teeth and mouth in the Salt Lake City area, Avenues Dentistry is the place for you. We offer dental services and a friendly staff who can provide you with a comfortable experience, and leave your mouth and teeth better than ever.

There are many different things that can impact your dental health, especially while traveling. It’s important to take care of your teeth, because after all, you only get one set of adult teeth – and dental work can be very expensive. Your dental health impacts your overall health, too.

Here is what you need to know about how traveling affects your dental health and what you can do in order to keep your teeth in good health all throughout your vacation.

How Can Traveling Impact Your Teeth?

You know how your ears may pop while you’re flying? This is because of how the air in your body is trying to adjust to the change in air pressure as the plane ascends and descends.

You may also experience a toothache on an airplane for the same reason – but not if your teeth are healthy. Healthy teeth aren’t bothered by toothaches while you’re flying. However, if you have a cavity or have had dental work done a long time ago, then this may mean that there are tiny pockets of air in your teeth. 

Like with your ears, these air pockets may try to expand in order to accommodate for the changing air pressure, leading to pain and discomfort that you wouldn’t feel on the ground. Just because the toothache goes away when you return to your usual elevation doesn’t mean that the problem with your teeth goes away too. If you’re experiencing toothaches while traveling, this means that you either have tooth decay or dental work that is about to fail. 

In addition to toothaches while flying, people do all sorts of things while traveling that can affect their dental health. Some of these are as follows:

• Forgetting to brush and floss as needed
• Eating lots of junk food
• Drinking lots of red wine, energy drinks, and other such beverages
• Being dehydrated
• Activities that can damage your teeth

While it’s good to celebrate and have fun while traveling, make sure that you’re still taking care of your teeth in order to avoid paying for it later. 

How Do You Prevent Toothaches While Flying?

By doing what you can to keep your teeth healthy! See your dentist as recommended, brush and floss, and all that good stuff. The way that you prevent toothaches while flying is by eliminating the air pockets in your teeth. 

If you have a cavity large enough to give you a toothache while flying, you should make an appointment to have it treated as soon as possible. Once treated properly, air won’t be able to enter your tooth anymore and your toothaches while flying should go away.

However, if you have dental work and still experience toothaches in those teeth, what this means is that the filling is loose and likely to fail soon. Air shouldn’t be able to enter a tooth that has been properly treated. As such, if you’re still experiencing toothaches while flying, you’ll again want to see your dentist about this to see what is going on.

How To Keep Your Teeth Healthy While Traveling

Keeping your teeth healthy while traveling involves maintaining good oral health habits, such as brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and seeing your dentist as needed. It may be a good idea to make an appointment to have your teeth checked before you go on vacation so that any cavities or old dental work can be fixed before you jet off, saving you toothaches later on. 

Drinking lots of water stimulates saliva production, which helps to prevent cavities. Chewing sugar-free gum for about 20 minutes after a meal can also help prevent cavities, as well as freshen up your breath and smile for pictures. 

If you do experience toothaches while traveling, you can use over-the-counter painkillers, a saltwater rinse, cold compresses, and peppermint in order to help alleviate the pain.

Further Reading

To learn more about how traveling can affect your dental health, check out our previous blogs.

• Why Shouldn’t You Brush Your Teeth After Throwing Up? (for those who get sick while traveling) 
• Can Stress Affect Your Teeth?
• Does Chewing Gum Actually Help Clean Your Teeth?
• How Your Diet Impacts Your Teeth: Interesting Facts You Need To Know
• Toothache Relief Strategies
•  7 Bad Habits That Damage Your Teeth

Avenues Dentistry is here to help you maintain your dental health. Contact us today to schedule a dental appointment.

If you’ve had dental work done, you’re all too familiar with the numbness that sticks around for hours after the fact. If you don’t have anything else to do for hours, this may just be an annoyance, but if you have to go to work or a social gathering or something, it can cause you to feel very self-conscious and wonder just how long dental numbness will last. After all, you don’t want to be talking to a co-worker with half of your face being numb. 

Here is what you need to know about how long dental numbness typically lasts and whether there’s anything you can do in order to help it go away faster. 

How Long Does Dental Numbness Last?

On average, dental numbness lasts about 3-5 hours after the procedure. The anesthesia numbs the teeth themselves for about 1-2 hours, enough time for your dentist to do what needs to be done. If your dental numbness lasts longer than 5 or 6 hours, give your dentist a call. Dental numbness that lasts for too long could indicate an issue that needs to be addressed. 

Even after your tooth regains sensation, your face, lips, and tongue will likely still be numb for a few more hours. You may find yourself drooling and slurring while you’re waiting for the dental numbness to wear off. Your smile might be lopsided.

It’s important to note here that how long dental numbness lasts can vary. Depending on how much you received, the type of work you had done, your height and weight, your metabolism, and more, how long dental numbness lasts can differ. For instance, someone who is taller and/or heavier than someone else may need more anesthesia.

The type of dental work you have done plays a significant role in how long your dental numbness will last. For instance, if you have cavities filled on the lower part of your mouth, this can lead to numbness in other areas of your face. Whether you’ve had a simple cavity or a root canal also impacts how much anesthesia is administered. 

Exercise Care While Dealing With Dental Numbness

Even if you have the patience to just wait for the dental numbness to go away, you need to be careful in the hours that it’s there. This is because you could accidentally injure yourself while going about your daily activities. Be very careful eating and drinking while your mouth is numb, as you could hurt yourself and not even realize it until the numbness goes away.

This is why it is recommended that you avoid anything hot or cold and that you stick with foods that are easy to chew while waiting for the numbness to subside.

Can You Make Dental Numbness Go Away Faster?

Yes, you can. There are a few different ways you can do this. You basically want to increase blood flow in order to help numbness wear away, such as massaging the skin, applying a warm compress, taking a walk or doing some chores. 

Some of the ways you can make dental numbness go away faster are as follows. 

• You can gently wiggle your jaw side to side and up and down, but don’t touch the area that was worked on. This could introduce an infection, which would cause far more problems than just a few hours of numbness. 
• You can also just take a nap and hopefully when you wake up, you won’t be numb any more. 
• In some cases, you may be able to ask for a reversal injection to help the numbness wear away faster. You will need to consult with your dentist to see if they do this and if it is an option for you. 
• You can also drink plenty of fluids, as this may help your body flush the numbing agent.
• However, you typically just have to wait the numbness out. Since different dental procedures require different amounts of anesthesia and one person may need more anesthesia than another for the same thing, there’s no cut and dry answer for how long you can expect your dental numbness to last. 

If you have questions about how long you can expect your dental numbness to last, it’s best to consult with your dentist. 

Avenues Dentistry is here to help with all your dental needs here in Salt Lake City, UT. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or for any questions you may have about your oral health.