Oral Microbiota: Smoking Can Do Severe Harm To Microbiomes
As we all know it very well, smoking is the reason for several severe ailments both for orally and bodily. But in a new study published by International Society for Microbial Ecology, smoking is found to be the main reason for disturbing and destroying the oral microbiome which in turn leads to severe tooth decay and breaking down of toxins in your mouth. If the habit is not stopped in time, the imperfections caused in microbiota can ultimately lead to such ailments as gastrointestinal cancers and Crohn’s disease.
According to the recent studies, a human mouth contains at least 600 different species of bacteria and around 75% of them triggers oral cancers, activated due to long habit of smoking. Chances become higher of a cancer risk when oral microbiome is affected by smoking. So, in this narrative, the renowned dentist in Los Angeles Dr. Shervin Louie will relate to you some of the grave harms of smoking to oral Microbiota and how it will affect your bodily health.
According to the studies conducted by the U.S. government, smoking is perhaps the # 1 cause of mortality and preventable disease in America. At least a 480, 000 annual fatalities occur because of smoking in the USA. Given such ground realities, researchers have been studying the impact of smoking on the actions and composition of oral microbiota.
The researchers from New York University’s Langone Medical Center in collaboration with Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center conducted their tests on more than 1,000 American adults, some of them were chain smokers while others have no history of smoking. In the tests, medical scientists from both the facilities examined a huge amount of bacterial activities in their mouths.
The results which the researchers got from their assessments showed a high amount of difference in the oral microbiome of those who smoke from those who do not smoke or have left the habit years ago. “In the mouth of those who smoke, a certain 150 species of harmful bacteria were much higher than the norm while about 70 other species of bacteria’s that counters the “bad” ones were found much lower, “says Dr. Shervin Louie, a famous professional dentist in Los Angeles.
The bad news is that almost all of these 150 species of microbiomes, which is altered due to smoking, increases the risk of oral cancer at an alarming rate. The only most effective way to deal with this highly serious problem is, as recommended by most dentists and renowned health physicians; stop smoking habit at once and the sooner you stop the better is for your oral and overall bodily health.
Another very alarming factor is the huge decline of the presence of Proteobacteria in the mouths of those who smoke regularly. The same tests also revealed that smokers have an alarmingly low level of Proteobacteria in their mouth’s (at around 4.6% of overall oral bacteria’s) as compared with that of 11.7% in those who don’t smoke or have left smoking.
“The reason for concern in this is the role which Proteobacteria plays in one person’s mouth. And when it comes to a smoker, Proteobacteria is the only species of germs that helps to break down the toxic chemicals introduced by smoking in the mouth,” states Dr. Shervin Louie of Aesthetic and Implant Dentistry, the renowned dental clinic in Los Angeles.
How To Recover & Reinstate A Normal State Of Oral Microbiome
There is only one most efficient and fast way of healing this situation, and decreasing your chances of getting oral cancer; quit smoking at once. When a smoker quits smoking, oral microbiome starts to gradually return to its previous normal healthy state, which is good for both your mouth and bodily health. The effect is so immediate and effective that even if you have stopped smoking, even if not since the last 10 years of your life, the microbial balance in your mouth will revert back to same that of in the mouth of a non-smoker.
Also, a professional dentist’s role over here in recharging your oral health comes very handy as well. “A professional dentist here in Los Angeles will be able to clean your oral contamination with special dental treatments to dissolve and eliminate bad after-effects of smoking in your mouth,” says Dr. Shervin Louie.
Going to a dentist is also highly recommended, with or without any dental issues, because a dentist surely plays a vital role in identifying and treating signs of any serious dental/oral problems before they damage your oral or dental condition aggressively. So, in order to avoid upsetting your oral microbiomes, stop all kinds of bad habits that can devastate your oral as well as bodily health and adopt healthy diet/habits for the good of your mouth and your overall physical health.