The Alarming Facts of Vaping

Believe it or not, one night the fire alarm at 5 Brook Street went off. I drove there to find the Darien Fire Department in the smoke filled hallway with, thankfully, no flames or fire. They explained to me that the fire alarm went off because of someone, or a group, vaping in the hallway. The Darien Police Department went on to say this was not uncommon: teenagers out late at night, getting into an unlocked building, and vaping.

So let's talk about vaping. It isn't smoking cigarettes or marijuana. But it can still set off a fire alarm and it is very harmful to your mouth and lungs!

What exactly is vaping? It is a cartridge that contains a fluid that is then heated by a coil and vaporized. The fluid contains glycerol, propylene glycol (used in antifreeze!) and flavoring agents like mint, candy, tobacco, etc. It is made to look "wholesome", as an alternative to smoking cigarettes, and can have or not have nicotine. If all that is being heated up in these fluids are flavors, why is this harmful?

Under the conditions that it is being heated and under the pressure, the flavored liquids in vape turn into formaldehyde & acryline. These are the chemicals that are used to mummify you when you are dead! Gas chromatography studies have found cadmium and lead in the vape also, from the metal of the coil or cartridge.

Dr. Purnima Kumar, periodontist & researcher, is the American Dental Association (ADA) spokesperson on vaping and smoking. She has studied the effects of vaping on the oral cavity. She recently was interviewed on the ADA podcast Dental Sound Bites.

Dr. Kumar found from her research, people who vape have more cavities and more bleeding gums, and with the same amount of plaque, more periodontitis. Dr. Kumar has found that only 6 months of vaping causes the same changes in the oral biome (the normal,  healthy bacteria that usually exist in the mouth) as smoking does in 5 years! The bacteria in the mouth respond to the vaping by going into osmotic shock and heat shock, and cover themselves in a slime layer, as she terms it, and the inflammation sky rockets. Oral wounds that should usually heal in 5-7 days take upwards of 21 days to heal. There is an increased tendency to bleed. It makes the plaque on your teeth thicker and harder to remove.

After reading the most recent research on the subject and listening to Dr. Kumar, I wish I could convince all of my patients and anyone reading this to not vape at all. However, if you choose to vape, be honest with your health care providers, including your dentist, that you do. Because of the effect it has on your mouth, you should have cleanings and check-ups more frequently than people who do not vape. Discuss with your dental care team how often they would like to see you, which may be 3 or 4 times a year.  We are here to help you maintain a healthy smile. Learn more by visiting https://www.maldds.com/