Whether you\u2019re ready to stop, thinking about it, or have tried before and found it difficult, the day provides an opportunity to make a positive change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smoking and your oral health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chances are you know that smoking affects the lungs, heart and other organs, but it also has a significant impact on your mouth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Smoking increases the risk of gum disease<\/strong>, which remains the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 It is also linked to mouth cancer, persistent bad breath and staining of the teeth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Smoking can also reduce blood flow to the gums.<\/strong> This means gum disease may progress without the usual warning signs, such as bleeding gums, which makes regular dental check-ups particularly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the bad news. The good news is that when someone stops smoking, improvements begin quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oxygen levels in the blood improve within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time, gums are able to heal more effectively, breath becomes fresher and the risk of gum disease progressing begins to reduce.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dental treatments are also more successful once someone has stopped smoking, and over the longer term the risk of mouth cancer and tooth loss falls significantly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to stop? Help is here\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re considering quitting, you\u2019re not alone. Many people try several times before they finally stop for good, and that is completely normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Brightside Dental we regularly see both the effects smoking can have on oral health and the positive changes that happen when patients decide to stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are thinking about quitting and would like advice on protecting your gums or improving your oral health, we are always happy to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also access free support through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Better Health \u2013 Quit Smoking – <\/strong>https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/better-health\/quit-smoking\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smokefree National Helpline<\/strong> – 0300 123 1044<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your GP or local pharmacy can also help you access NHS stop-smoking services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you would like to speak with the team about your oral health or book a check-up, give us a call on 020 8888 4401 or book an appointment here:\u00a0https:\/\/onlineappointment.carestack.uk\/?dn=brightside&ln=1#\/home<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ketan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As well as the lighter evenings and some more warmth (definitely feels like spring is nearly here!), March brings with it National No Smoking Day. Taking place next Wednesday (11th), it\u2019s a moment in the year that encourages smokers to stop and think about their health. Whether you\u2019re ready to stop, thinking about it, or … Continue reading National No Smoking Day – March 11th<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/69a860d7bffadf5006761f5f.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n