Oral Health›Diet and lifestyle

Smoking, Vaping and Your Oral Health

Smoking raises your risk of gum disease, tooth loss and mouth cancer, and stains your teeth. Vaping is newer and less studied. Here is what health bodies say, and where to get help to quit.

Updated September 2026·By the OHA editorial team·7 min read·How we write
Key takeaways
  • Smoking increases your risk of severe gum disease, tooth loss and mouth cancer, and it stains teeth and causes bad breath.
  • Smoking can hide the early warning sign of gum disease, bleeding gums, because it reduces blood supply to the gums.
  • Quitting helps at any age: the Australian Dental Association says the risk of severe gum disease in people who quit becomes similar to people who have never smoked.
  • Vaping is not risk-free for the mouth, and its long-term effects are not yet known. Health bodies in the UK and Australia disagree on how it compares with smoking.
  • Free help to quit is available in the UK, Australia and the US, and your dentist, doctor or pharmacist can point you to it.

Smoking affects your gums, your teeth and your risk of mouth cancer. Vaping is often promoted as a safer alternative, but the Oral Health Foundation says it is not risk-free, especially for the mouth, and the evidence is still developing. This article sets out what health bodies say, including where they disagree.

How does smoking affect your gums?

The NHS describes gum disease as the gums becoming red, swollen and sore, and bleeding. The Australian Dental Association says smoking increases your risk of the severe form, called periodontitis, which can cause bone to be lost from around the teeth and teeth to move or become loose. If it is not treated, the teeth may fall out or need to be removed.

The American Dental Association (ADA) explains that tobacco chemicals irritate the gums, which can pull away from the teeth and form pockets where infection develops. The ADA says smokers are more than twice as likely as non-smokers to lose all their teeth.

There is an extra problem. Bleeding gums are one of the first signs of gum disease, but the Australian Dental Association says they can be hard to see in people who smoke, because smokers have less blood supply to their gums. Gum disease can therefore be progressing without the usual warning.

The NHS advises not smoking as one way to prevent gum disease, and says that if you have early gum disease, your dentist will advise you to stop smoking.

Staining, bad breath and slow healing

According to the Australian Dental Association and the ADA, smoking can:

  • stain your teeth. The Australian Dental Association says the nicotine and tar in tobacco smoke cause this. Brushing twice a day helps, but some stains need a professional clean by a dentist, hygienist or oral health therapist.
  • cause bad breath, partly because smoking dries the mouth.
  • dull your sense of taste and smell.
  • reduce saliva, which normally helps protect your teeth.
  • slow healing of sores in the mouth. After a tooth is taken out, the Australian Dental Association advises avoiding smoking for as long as possible, because smoking increases the risk of dry socket, a painful condition where the socket stops healing.

The ADA adds that teeth whitening may not work as well, or last as long, in people who smoke.

Smoking and mouth cancer

The NHS lists smoking or chewing tobacco, betel nut or paan, and drinking a lot of alcohol, among the things that make mouth cancer more likely. Cancer Research UK says research suggests around 17 out of 100 mouth cancers in the UK are caused by smoking, and that smoking and drinking together further increase the risk.

The Australian Dental Association says people who use tobacco, smoked or chewed, are 2 times more likely to develop oral cancer than people who do not, and that the risk starts to fall once you quit. Cancer Research UK says chewing tobacco and betel quid are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.

Dentists can spot early changes. Cancer Research UK explains that red or white patches in the mouth (called erythroplakia and leukoplakia) can, in some people, develop into cancer over some years, and that dentists can spot these during appointments. The Australian Dental Association says that if you smoke or vape, it is important to visit the dentist often.

What is known about vaping and oral health?

Vaping means inhaling a vapour, made by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine and flavourings, from an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette or vape). Here the evidence is less settled, and health bodies do not agree on everything.

Where the sources agree

  • Vaping is not risk-free. Every body we checked says this.
  • The long-term effects are not known. The NHS says the long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear, the Oral Health Foundation says they are not fully known, and the Australian Dental Association says much more research is needed.
  • If you do not smoke, do not start vaping. The NHS says e-cigarettes are not recommended for non-smokers, and the Oral Health Foundation gives the same advice.

Possible effects on the mouth

The Oral Health Foundation says vaping may increase the risk of gum disease, because nicotine can reduce blood flow to the gums, slow healing and hide early signs such as bleeding. It says some vape liquids are sweet, and vaping can dry the mouth, raising the risk of decay. Vapes contain no tar, the main cause of heavy staining from cigarettes, but nicotine can still cause some yellowing. Nicotine may also increase tooth grinding.

The Australian Dental Association says vaping may increase the risk of oral cancer and periodontal disease. The ADA says vape liquids can contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and sugary flavourings that contribute to decay, and reports a study that found a link between vaping and untreated cavities, but says more research is needed to find out whether vaping causes them.

Note the wording: "may" and "more research is needed". These effects have not been proven either way.

Where the sources disagree

The NHS and the Oral Health Foundation in the UK, and the Australian Dental Association, reach different conclusions about vaping compared with smoking:

  • UK: the NHS says e-cigarettes are likely to be far less harmful than cigarettes, pose a small fraction of the risk of smoking, and can help people quit. The Oral Health Foundation says vaping is likely to be less harmful than smoking and may help you quit, but that the goal should be to stop using nicotine altogether.
  • Australia: the Australian Dental Association says vaping is not recommended as a replacement for smoking or as a way to quit, that there is not enough evidence that e-cigarettes help people quit, and that you should not think of vaping as safer than smoking.

We cannot resolve that disagreement here. If you are thinking about vaping to stop smoking, talk to your local quit service or doctor, who can advise on the options available where you live.

Where to get help to quit

Both the Australian Dental Association and the ADA say quitting is the best thing you can do for your oral health if you smoke. The Australian Dental Association says it is never too late to quit, even after smoking for a long time. The Oral Health Foundation says your dentist, doctor or pharmacist can help you find support.

  • UK: NHS stop smoking services are free and can improve your chances of quitting for good. They offer one-to-one or group support and make it easy to get treatments such as nicotine replacement therapy (patches or gum) and stop-smoking medicines. Your GP, pharmacist or health visitor can refer you, or you can contact your local service yourself. In England you can call the free Smokefree National Helpline on 0300 123 1044, and the NHS lists separate services for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • Australia: Quit offers free, confidential support from trained counsellors through Quitline on 13 7848, for both smoking and vaping.
  • US: the ADA points to smokefree.gov and 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
When to see a dentist
  • Your gums bleed, are swollen, or have pulled back from your teeth.
  • A tooth feels loose.
  • You have bad breath that continues after you have quit smoking. The Australian Dental Association suggests seeing your dentist to check for another cause.
  • You have a mouth ulcer lasting more than 3 weeks, a red or white patch, or a lump in your mouth or on your lip. The NHS says to get these checked by a GP or dentist.
Get help urgently

The NHS advises asking for an urgent dental appointment if you have gum disease and also:

  • very sore and swollen gums
  • teeth becoming loose or falling out
  • ulcers or red patches in your mouth
  • a lump in your mouth or on your lip

Frequently asked questions

Will quitting smoking improve my gums?

Yes. The Australian Dental Association says quitting reduces your risk of periodontitis and oral cancer, and that the risk of periodontitis in people who quit becomes similar to people who have never smoked.

Is vaping better for my teeth than smoking?

Health bodies disagree. The NHS and the Oral Health Foundation say vaping is likely to be less harmful than smoking overall, while the Australian Dental Association says you should not think of it as safer. All agree it is not risk-free and that the long-term effects are unknown.

Is chewing tobacco safer than smoking for my mouth?

No. Cancer Research UK says smokeless tobacco is linked with mouth cancer and is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.

Sources

  1. Gum disease, NHS, accessed September 2026
  2. Causes of mouth cancer, NHS, accessed September 2026
  3. Symptoms of mouth cancer, NHS, accessed September 2026
  4. Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking, NHS, accessed September 2026
  5. NHS stop smoking services help you quit, NHS, accessed September 2026
  6. Risks and causes of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer, Cancer Research UK, accessed September 2026
  7. Effects of vaping on oral health, Oral Health Foundation, accessed September 2026
  8. Smoking, Australian Dental Association, accessed September 2026
  9. E-cigarettes and vaping, Australian Dental Association, accessed September 2026
  10. Smoking, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
  11. Quit, Quit, accessed September 2026

This article is general information about oral health. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a dentist or doctor who knows your situation. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding that does not settle, or a problem that is getting worse, see a dental professional. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service.

Eating for Healthy Teeth
What you eat and drink, and when, makes a real difference to your teeth. Here are the drinks, snacks and eating habits that health bodies describe as tooth-friendly.
Sugar, Acid and Your Teeth
Sugar feeds the bacteria that cause tooth decay, and acidic drinks can wear enamel away. How often you have them matters as much as how much. Here is what health bodies advise.
Drinks and Your Teeth
Water, milk, juice, fizzy and diet drinks, sports and energy drinks, tea, coffee and plant-based milks compared, plus how the way you drink affects your teeth, from UK, Australian and US health bodies.