Marijuana and Oral Health

Marijuana and Oral Health

With a lot of buzz around prop. 2, this 2018 midterm voting season, have you ever wondered what smoking marijuana can do to your oral health? Some frequently asked questions are: How does marijuana affect my teeth? Will marijuana make my teeth yellow? Can marijuana cause damage to my gums?

We are here to discover some of the effects that marijuana has on oral health.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the effects of marijuana smoking by analyzing the general health of over 900 adults who had ingested marijuana at least 40 times since turning 18 years of age.

Marijuana and gum disease


Smoking pot can cause the soft-tissue in your mouth to become inflamed and eventually lead to it breaking down. This means painful damage can be done to lips, cheeks, tongue and the roof of the mouth, with severe damage to the gums possibly leading to teeth falling out. Cannabis use is also associated with severe gingivitis.

Protect the Pearly Whites


It’s probably not surprising to hear smoking anything is going to have a negative impact on the appearance of your teeth. Heavy smoker’s teeth can become more worn and yellow than non-smokers, and even the appearance of the gums can be affected. The lack of saliva and an increase in decay can also cause bad breath.

Mouth Cancers


Studies from CIAS show that cannabis stomatitis is a condition where smoking causes damage to the lining of the mouth. This can lead to oral cancers, which can take the form of nasty sores which don’t go away. They can be extremely painful to treat, and can even be life-threatening in serious cases.

A Solution

Habitual marijuana users in Kennewick or Tri-Cities WA that are concerned about the effects smoking pot has on their oral health should seek the advice of their dental care provider. Dr. Antonio Lopez or another dentist will be able to diagnose dental problems and implement the dental treatments needed to correct the issue and those looking to find a dentist are invited to call 509-579-0759.