The effect of electronic cigarettes on dental health

Today, electronic cigarettes are becoming more and more popular; using them can keep your teeth healthy. Such devices are an analogue of traditional smoking and make it possible to give up the bad habit. The first patent for their use was received back in 1965 in the USA, but they became widespread only in the 2000s. But the debate about whether this device is safe has not subsided to this day.

Manufacturers and consumers include the following positive qualities of electronic cigarettes:

absence of passive smoking, while vaping (or exhaled steam) does not contain harmful substances to others;
convenient and safe to use, no ashtrays required, no risk of accidental fire of surrounding objects;
normal condition of teeth and gums, no threat of many diseases caused by conventional cigarettes;
the opportunity to reduce nicotine consumption and get rid of the bad habit forever.

Operating principle and composition of e-cigarettes

Outwardly, such a cigarette may look similar to a regular one, but manufacturers also produce more complex versions that differ in size, shape, and control types.

The composition of all is almost the same: atomizer, LED, sensor and battery. That is, an electronic cigarette is an inhaler that produces steam. Unlike medicinal devices, it contains flavorings, propylene glycol, glycerin and nicotine.

Propylene glycol, which is part of e-cigarettes, is a legal additive; it is non-toxic, and part of it is excreted by the body unchanged, and part is converted into lactic acid. Glycerin is also used in the food industry. The main substance in smoking is nicotine, which causes the habit, but in electronic devices it is used purified and in much lower concentrations.

Professional teeth cleaning

Knowing how cigarettes affect teeth, you can appreciate the possibility of cleaning enamel at home. But with advanced forms of plaque, it is still better to consult a dentist. Every professional knows how smoking affects teeth, so the approach to cleaning will include 2 procedures - hygiene and whitening. Let's take a closer look.

Professional oral hygiene. This procedure is carried out using soft cleaning and ultrasound. During the procedure, the surface of the teeth is cleaned of accumulated plaque and tartar.
Whitening tooth enamel. This method is relevant if a person is not satisfied with his natural teeth color. During the manipulation process, the patient acquires a perfectly snow-white smile.

We invite you to read: Oral ulcers: causes and symptoms of oral ulcers, photos of mouth ulcers

In some cases, the methods are combined and combined with further remineralization of the enamel.

How do regular and electronic cigarettes affect teeth?

Consumption of chemicals does not improve health. But if we compare the harm caused to the body by the usual method of smoking and electronic smoking, the advantage in many serious diseases will be on the side of the traditional cigarette. Containing up to 4 thousand different harmful substances, it is a time bomb leading to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes and many other diseases.

Smoking regular cigarettes affects the appearance and condition of teeth. According to statistics, 75% of people suffering from oral diseases are smokers. Let's compare the effects of conventional and electronic cigarettes on the oral cavity and teeth:

When using an electronic analogue, there is no bad breath, which accompanies regular smokers and makes communicating with them an extremely repulsive process. This kind of trouble occurs due to a violation of the acidity and composition of saliva, which changes its normal functioning.
Smokers have weak gums and damaged teeth. Experienced dentists know that a smoker soon becomes their client. This is due to the formation of combustion products during smoking and their combination with saliva. And the first sign of impending caries is that the teeth turn yellow. Electronic cigarettes do not cause these problems.
Many smokers of traditional cigarettes have yellow-brown teeth, which over time begin to turn black from exposure to nicotine and tarry substances. The use of electronic cigarettes helps cleanse the oral cavity of accumulated impurities and partially restore teeth to their original color. This was noted by many consumers.
Smoking also affects the condition of the gums. They become inflamed due to toxic smoke and become a breeding ground for bacteria that eat away at the enamel and cause tooth decay. Over time, soft tissues begin to recede to the sides, teeth become loose and fall out. Electronic cigarettes do not cause tooth decay or gum disease.
Smoking tobacco also affects the mucous membranes of the mouth and the entire respiratory system, which often leads to very serious diseases. Such consequences have not yet been identified when using electronic analogues.

How to treat?

Avid fans of electronic cigarettes are convinced that there is nothing dangerous to health in their hobby. This belief is also shared by former heavy smokers who switched to vaping in order to give up cigarettes. Vapers explain this confidence by the fact that when using ES, a person’s lungs are protected from the ingress of carcinogenic tars and pure nicotine, filled with the poisons of tobacco smoke.

But many fans of vaping, while using a smoking gadget, begin to complain of pain in the throat. Some steamers do not pay attention to such alarming signals that the body sends them. And they don’t even suspect that the consequences of smoking electronic cigarettes can sometimes visit a person in an extremely negative way.

There are quite a few reasons why your throat hurts after vaping and you should know them.

IQOS or vape

IQOS is a new smoking device. It exactly replaces cigars, but differs from a vape in its features and functions.

If we compare which is safer, which is better, then:

IQOS is a gadget in which tobacco does not burn, but smolders. Will not remain indoors or on clothing. You can smoke indoors.
A vape is a device that lasts for a long time and creates a lot of vapor. It has greater productivity and can be filled with tobacco or without it. For example, liquid with different tastes. You can easily and easily refill other liquids and change evaporators several times a week.

With a vape you can control the supply of nicotine to your body. This cannot be done with IQOS. IQOS is an improved mouthpiece into which a stick is inserted like a cut cigar. Although, disposable, not reusable.

If we compare the chemical composition, IQOS sticks contain nicotine and propylene glycol. Vapes are a nicotine-free liquid heated to t + 320 degrees, so they do not emit or form harmful components.

IQOS is a unique tobacco heating system that does not reduce air quality when smoking in public places. Before using vapes, it is better to check that there is ventilation in the room. If you smoke in strange places, then check whether a cloud of steam will disturb those around you.

According to buyers, vaping can really give up smoking. IQOS is an expensive analogue of cigars, because it still contains tobacco.

Why you can’t smoke Iqos sticks by setting them on fire

The answer to this question is not on the company's official website. It probably never occurred to the 400 Swiss engineers and scientists who worked on the creation of Heat Control technology for 20 years that someone would want to use a heater stick for other purposes. But the enthusiasm of smokers is enviable. Experiments were carried out with previous generations of Parliament sticks, the supply of which ceased due to complaints. Now it's the turn of the Heets sticks, which are used with the Igos (IQOS) system.

On the Russian market they are presented in 6 flavors. Sold in small packs of 20 pieces. It looks like a regular cigarette, but the Heets cigarette is shorter, only 4.5 cm. Before use, knead the stick a little, insert it into the device, turn it on and enjoy the smoke without any combustion products. But you can’t smoke them without IQOS, just by setting them on fire. More precisely impossible.

How long is it enough?

To determine the time interval, it is enough to perform a control sample:

fully charge the battery so that the indicator does not blink;
smoke the stick, taking a certain number of puffs.

On average, smoking one gadget lasts 5-6 minutes. Once only steam has been released, work will be suspended. A full charge of the heating stick will last up to 18-20 smoked gadgets. Next you will need to recharge.

Manufacturers recommend charging the device every other day. When smoking in the cold - more often, because... The battery drains faster. The average duration of smoking is 6 minutes. It is advisable to charge the battery completely. But first make sure that there is no tobacco in the device.

The amount of IQOS charge is enough for 20 sticks and 14 puffs each. Although it all depends on the battery on the holder and the condition of the battery.

If the puffs are not enough, then it is recommended to take maximum breaks between them to prolong the session. This will allow the filter to cool down more slowly.

If you want to smoke earlier than the period of time specified by the manufacturer, then it is advisable to return the holder to the base after each smoking process.

Today the manufacturer has improved the gadget. For example, IQOS 3 flawlessly heats tobacco in the cold. Regardless of the outside temperature, it will hold the set mode for up to 180 seconds.

The main thing is to prevent the battery from being completely discharged. Otherwise, the gadget will gradually reduce the battery level. The volume and number of puffs for the smoker will be reduced.

Potential health hazard

There have been no in-depth studies in this area. The Igos heater has recently appeared on the market, so it is not yet time to talk about the consequences of long-term use. Scientists at the Global Nicotine Forum, which takes place annually in Warsaw, came to the conclusion that using a tobacco heating system reduces harm to the body by 90%. Less chance of developing cardiovascular diseases. But there is no such thing as safe smoking. The base of the sticks is tobacco. The nicotine it contains causes persistent addiction, so it will not be possible to quit smoking using the system. It is not suitable for people with individual intolerance. The following device is strictly contraindicated:

adolescents due to delayed mental and physical development;
for pregnant women and nursing mothers:
people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems.

There is no consensus on the Igos system. Some see the advantages: a stylish device that is easy to care for and the ability to maintain health. The only other disadvantages are: a limited number of puffs, insufficient tobacco strength, an unpleasant aftertaste and the need for recharging. But when using the heater and its parts, you need to remember that the creators of the system pursued the goal of minimizing the harm from smoking. Therefore, it is recommended to use sticks for their intended purpose and not conduct dubious experiments.

IQOS is too new a technology for long-term conclusions.

Many scientists are of the opinion that IQOS is significantly less harmful than cigarettes. But there is not enough observational history to draw conclusions about its long-term effects on health. According to representatives of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the United States), the most influential government quality control organization in the United States, IQOS actually emits significantly fewer harmful substances compared to conventional cigarettes (benzopyrene and acrolein levels are reduced by 90%, formaldehyde - by 80%). However, there is not enough data to talk about a long-term reduction in the risk of disease when switching from cigarettes to IQOS. This is logical - the first mobile phone appeared in 1973. 45 years have passed since then, and scientists still do not have a consensus on the impact of mobile phones on health.