When many people think about the effects that smoking has on a person's health, they often think about the lungs, or perhaps even the heart. However, smoking can affect other parts of your body as well, including your teeth. If you are a smoker, it's important to focus on the care of your teeth. These are a few tips that can help.

Consider Quitting

First of all, it truly is a good idea to focus on quitting smoking if at all possible. Even though it can be incredibly difficult for a smoker to put his or her cigarettes down, doing so is probably the best thing for your overall health, including your teeth. You can talk to your primary care physician if you need advice for quitting smoking.

Schedule Dental Appointments More Frequently

Even though it is important for everyone to see their dentist on a regular basis, it's even more important for you to schedule regular appointments with your dental care professional if you are a smoker. This can allow your dentist to examine your teeth and your mouth to look for signs of issues that are related to smoking. For example, your dentist can watch out for the signs of oral cancer, which can be a common problem for people who smoke or use other tobacco products. Your dentist can also do X-rays, clean your teeth and otherwise provide you with dental care at these appointments.

Try Dental Whitening

As you might have already noticed, smoking can cause your teeth to become discolored. If your teeth look yellow, you could be wondering what you can do about the problem. Of course, the best way to prevent this is to quit smoking completely. In the meantime, however, you may find that whitening your teeth will help. This is something that your dentist can help you with if you would like the best possible results. However, there are also products on the market that you can use to whiten your teeth at home. If you do so regularly, you may notice that some of the discoloration that was caused by smoking can be taken care of.

Smoking can have a lot of negative effects on your teeth and gum, so if you are smoker, it is important for you to take these things seriously. Luckily, if you follow these tips and work with your dentist, you can help ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy, even if you are a smoker.