Smoking and Pulp Infections

You doubtlessly knew that smoking isn’t good for your mouth, but you may not have known it can hurt your dental pulp. Although prosthetic teeth have helped many people, we at Ardas Family Dental try our best to preserve the natural dental structure of a patient with a toothache. But new research has shown that smoking makes it particularly difficult to treat dental pulp infections.

The pulp inside a tooth can become inflamed in response to an injury or an infection. Inflammation is a part of the body’s immune response, as are antimicrobial peptides inside the dental pulp. These tiny bits of amino acid kill the bacteria responsible for infections, but smokers have suppressed immune systems. We already knew that smokers suffered from higher rates of gum disease, but new research has shown that smokers also lack antimicrobial peptides in their dental pulp.

We can use root canal therapy to remove infected dental pulp and seal a tooth shut, eliminating the source of a patient’s discomfort. But with a suppressed immune system, there is a higher risk of the infection returning. There is good news: some smokers who quit produced new antimicrobial peptides. In addition to other benefits, if a patient quits smoking, they may be less likely to require a root canal in the future.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.