E cigs & teeth

[cantstopwontstop]

Hey everybody! Just got back from the dentist, and its been awhile since I've been. Us smokers don't like people getting up in our grill, so probably two years since I had my teeth cleaned professionally. Of course the dental hygienist asked if I smoked, so I told her no I use an E-cig. After explaining what it is and how it works (the usual) she didn't seem to show any emotion other than simple honest interest. Fast forward 30-45 minutes. She finishes cleaning my teeth and tells me, "you know you probably have alot of tarter build up from using that E-cig." Then says, "but I'm not gonna tell you not to use it, it's not my place." She seemed like a very nice person and I'm just curious if what she told me has any merit because I don't really know what to think since she didn't seem to even really know what an E cig was until I told her.

So are there any dental professionals out there that can clear this up? Is vaping worse for your teeth, better or no different that smoking a pack a day???? I would have thought that smoking a pack of camel lights/royals a day would be far worse than the 3-4 ml of 6mg/ml liquid I go through.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[rico942]

My current dentist has told me that he sees significant improvement in the health of my gums after just 9 months of vaping, compared to previous years. I go for cleanings 3 or 4 times a year, have had problems with recurring gingivitis all of my adult life ...

Also, in the past, I have had dental hygenists tell me all sorts of things that were not quite accurate, and not in accordance with the dentist's evaluation ...

I am currently in the process of getting two dental implants, and the maxiofacial surgeon who did the extractions and installed the implants has also remarked on the improvement in my gums in the past year, and was not at all surprised when I discussed vaping with him ...

My own observation is that my regular cleanings are taking less time each visit, with the same hygenist, down to maybe 40 minutes, used to be well over an hour. And much less sensitivity and irritation after the procedure. I used to get anesthetic for deep cleanings, which has not been necessary the last two times ...

Quitting smoking and starting to vape have been the only significant changes, still drink too much coffee and don't floss enough ...

 

[Buggainok]

I'm not a dentist, or dental hygenist, but my thoughts are these: You say you hadn't had your teeth cleaned for a couple of years. You have been vaping for about 8 months. I would think that the tartar build up she's talking about was already there before you even started vaping. It probably was not caused by the vaping, just normal build up that occurs when you haven't had your teeth cleaned for a while.

Now that you're not smoking, and your teeth are clean, you will have a starting point for a valid opinion when you get them cleaned again. P.S. I don't like to go to the dentist either, but try not to wait quite so long this time. (Do as I say, not as I do, lol.)

 

[Myk]

Uhh, you probably have a lot of tartar build up from going 2 years without a cleaning.
You really have no baseline to go on. Even if you go back in 6 months vaping the whole time you will get an idea of how vaping is doing but you'll have no comparison.

I smoked for quite a while when I started going to a dentist and went quite a while before I switched.
My first cleaning after switching to ecigs was great. She "wondered what the change was".
After that I went on meds (ironically quitting smoking got me diagnosed with an incurable disease) and have had bleeding gums ever since.

 

[Iffy]

My dentist and tech have been astonished with my dental health improvements since I started vaping.

I spend more time in the reception area than in da 'chair'!

Just wait until she 'sees' ya da next time!

 

[Carmigirl]

The tartar was from 2 years of not cleaning!

 

[wv2win]

My dentist ask me to recommend a vaping kit for his brother-in-law. He's a big proponent of vaping.

 

[bluecat]

Will share my story with you. At 18 I stopped going to the dentist. Why? I hated someone else prying in my mouth. Got married and a few little kids latter the wife says I have to start going. I said why? I have no cavities and my teeth feel fine. When I turned 40 my kids said they didn't want to go because daddy never went (that was why). So I set up an appointment. Man... 20 years had passed since I went and I was really dreading it.

Thankfully the hygienist was very nice and a dog lover as well. After she had finished she asked if I was a smoker. Then I confided with her that I had not been to the dentist in 20 years. She was amazed. It been 5-10 years now and I go every sixth months and see the same hygienist. A year after vaping she asked if I had quit smoking because my gums look great.

In my case they could tell that I quit smoking.

Oh yeah.. Still no cavities. I must have hit the right gene pool or just been lucky.

 

[BigCatDaddy]

Will share my story with you. At 18 I stopped going to the dentist. Why? I hated someone else prying in my mouth. Got married and a few little kids latter the wife says I have to start going. I said why? I have no cavities and my teeth feel fine. When I turned 40 my kids said they didn't want to go because daddy never went (that was why). So I set up an appointment. Man... 20 years had passed since I went and I was really dreading it.

Thankfully the hygienist was very nice and a dog lover as well. After she had finished she asked if I was a smoker. Then I confided with her that I had not been to the dentist in 20 years. She was amazed. It been 5-10 years now and I go every sixth months and see the same hygienist. A year after vaping she asked if I had quit smoking because my gums look great.

In my case they could tell that I quit smoking.

Oh yeah.. Still no cavities. I must have hit the right gene pool or just been lucky.

Just wait till you hit 60, the whole teeth thing starts going south on ya!

 

[Marc Dixon]

Hey. I work in a dental office fabricating dental prosthetics. I've been doing it FOREVER and have plenty of knowledge I could share with you.
But to make it quick, the answer is NO. She is mistaken.
Just do yourself some DD on exactly what plaque and tarter is and the difference between the two.
I assure you once you learn what they are, you'll understand how vaping has absolutely no effect. In fact, it should be quit the opposite considering the antibacterial application PG is known for.
Next time you see her, inform her that PG is most certainly antbacterial rendering her theory, BULL SPIT.

 

[MorpheusPA]

My hygienist told me the staining and tartar on my teeth has been seriously reduced since I started vaping and she's thrilled--teeth cleaning that used to take ages to do right is now a lot faster.

The dentist is thrilled as well, and tells me my gums are actually regenerating a little bit. Which I can tell because of the lack of pain at the tooth base in cold weather...

 

[Robino1]

Just to clarify:
Did you tell the hygienist that you had stopped smoking ONLY 8 months ago?
Did you let her think you had been vaping for 2 years?

That may make a difference in what she was thinking.....
As was said, now that you have a baseline to go off of, you should see a more positive result on your next cleaning.

 

[Robino1]

My hygienist told me the staining and tartar on my teeth has been seriously reduced since I started vaping and she's thrilled--teeth cleaning that used to take ages to do right is now a lot faster.

The dentist is thrilled as well, and tells me my gums are actually regenerating a little bit. Which I can tell because of the lack of pain at the tooth base in cold weather...

And while eating ice cream!

 

[cantstopwontstop]

Just to clarify:
Did you tell the hygienist that you had stopped smoking ONLY 8 months ago?
Did you let her think you had been vaping for 2 years?

That may make a difference in what she was thinking.....
As was said, now that you have a baseline to go off of, you should see a more positive result on your next cleaning.

Wow face palm moment. Yea you know I didn't even think about this. Luckily I'm going back in a couple months, Thank God for the fact that i now have dental/health insurance!!!!!

 

[chawk]

Now I can't wait to go to the dentist..

 

[Jarbs]

when someone says "probably" it does not mean "definitely". it means it COULD be a cause. not is a cause. all things in the world could probably cause anything.

 

[volume control]

I brush and floss daily and always have, as a smoker i was getting 1-2 cavities per year. After a year and a half of vaping not one cavity. Also my checkups are flawless, the hygienist always tells me that there is almost 0 tartar on my teeth to clean. In short, smoking enhances tooth decay, another advantage of vaping!

 

[ScottP]

Tartar is simply dead calcified plaque germs. Vaping does NOT create either the plaque or the tartar. However when quitting smoking you may be more prone to gingivitis. Again this is NOT caused by vaping, but is the result of less poison in your mouth killing off some of the bacteria. Smoking does make your mouth less habitable for the bacteria. When you quit smoking, either by vaping or cold turkey the bacteria can thrive more easily. This can be fought with a good regimen of brushing, flossing, mouth wash, and trips to the dentist for cleanings.

 

[ScottP]

I brush and floss daily and always have, as a smoker i was getting 1-2 cavities per year. After a year and a half of vaping not one cavity. Also my checkups are flawless, the hygienist always tells me that there is almost 0 tartar on my teeth to clean. In short, smoking enhances tooth decay, another advantage of vaping!

That is true for the bacteria that cause cavities, but not for the ones that cause gingivitis. At least that is the observations of my hygienist.

 

[doghair]

This is better for me because the other ways I tried to quit all I wanted to do was chew through people's necks. That can't be good for your teeth.