Good or bad news for dentists? New research suggests that vaping does not stain teeth!
British American Tobacco scientists just released their newest study that suggests vaping does not stain human teeth at all. As we know, smoking stains teeth and does it quickly. It’s usually called ‘nicotine stain’ but it’s actually caused by the tar in cigarettes which causes white teeth to turn yellow or brown depending on the amount of exposure.
The study involved using a ‘puffing robot’ to create smoke or vapour against the teeth over the course of 14 days. It showed an extreme discolouring of the teeth when using cigarettes, almost an intense brown but no change at all with the vape as the chemicals that create this effect from smoking are absent in the vape e-liquids.
This adds yet another reason for smokers to switch to vaping. Does this mean good news for dentists who care about oral health, or bad news because they won’t have as much work? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!
Vaping and smoking are clearly different, despite how similar e-cigarette vapour and cigarette smoke may look to some people. Cigarette smoke contains far more chemicals than vapour and it also includes tar, something that vapour produced by e-cigarettes does not contain. That may be why we see such a huge difference between teeth exposed to smoke and those that are exposed to vapour, as the tar in cigarette smoke is believed to be one of the main ingredients responsible for the staining of teeth.
While switching from smoking to vaping might help prevent new stains from forming, the old stains will likely remain without treatment. Fortunately for former smokers, there are a number of ways to whiten teeth that have been stained by tobacco smoke. These include:
- Professional teeth whitening
- At-home whitening treatments
- Do-it-yourself (DIY) teeth whitening remedies
Whitening toothpaste, electric toothbrushes, professional whitening treatments, custom whitening gel trays, teeth whitening strips, and toothpaste that contains baking soda are some of the options available. If your teeth have been stained from tobacco use, we recommend consulting with a licensed dentist to discover what options are available to you.