You already know the dangers of smoking, but you may not know that vaping (which has been widely used as a “substitute” for smoking) is just as dangerous as smoking, if not more dangerous. Vaping is when you inhale ‘vapors’ made of a fluid that combines nicotine and other chemicals along with flavoring in lieu of smoking.
Unfortunately, many people are under the impression that vaping is somehow safer than cigarette smoking, but many studies have shown that this is simply not true. Between the dangerous chemicals in vaping fluids that are often not regulated (meaning they can put in any amount of chemicals without you ever knowing) and the vape or e-cigarette itself sometimes malfunctioning due to its batter getting wet, vaping is dangerous all around. Vaping has even been found to cause lung collapse, and an elevated risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.
But now a new study has revealed another danger of vaping. It’s called “vaping tongue” or “vapers tongue” and dentists around the world are noticing a concerning rise in patients who report this problem.
Vaping tongue is when vapers report a loss of taste and sensation in either part or all of their tongue, something unique to vaping that may not occur with smoking traditional paper cigarettes.
Researchers say that vaping tongue is caused by the excessive dryness of the mouth associated with vaping, causing the tongue to lose function with time.
So, what’s the big deal about dry mouth, besides losing your ability to taste and enjoy the foods you love? Well, for starters dry mouth can cause everything from bad breath to, yes, cavities. This is because saliva helps kill the bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities. When your mouth is constantly dry, those bacteria are free to thrive in your mouth, and the acid by product they leave behind will eat away at your tooth enamel, causing cavities.
Vaping fluid can also contain several chemicals including propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, both of which have been found to coat the tongue and damage the tongue’s ability to detect flavors.
If you want to quit smoking, congratulations for taking healthy steps towards improving your health, but don’t take up vaping as a means to quit. Studies have also shown that vaping can often be more addictive than smoking, and with all these dangers, that’s just a dangerous idea.
If you want to quit smoking, speak to your physician about healthy methods that won’t cause your addiction to nicotine to worsen, or to put your health at risk for things like lung collapse and vaping tongue.
To learn more about the dangerous effects of vaping or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Abelar for a cleaning, please contact the office today!
