How long after you quit smoking can a dentist tell you ever did?
Apr.18, 2008 in
Quit Smoking FAQ's
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Wendy L asked:
I quit smoking recently and I need to go to the dentist. I don’t want him to know I ever smoked because it’s embarrassing. How long would it take for the signs of my folly to be erased? I smoked about a year and have quit about two weeks.
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April 21st, 2008 at 4:04 pm
WENDY,
CONGRATULATIONS! MOST DENTISTS WELCOME QUITTING IN THEIR PATIENTS. BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF NICOTINE STAINS IT MAY BE HARD TO TELL YOU SMOKED FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Smoking turns your teeth yellow over time…. that’s permanent, unless you use some type of whitener.
However, if you only smoked for a year, your teeth shouldn’t be too bad (unless you drink lots of coffee or soda.) So your dentist may not notice.
Either way… You’ve already quit, so you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. If he says something about it, just tell him you stopped. He may only mention it to sell you some type of whitening treatment, in which case you may accept or decline.
April 26th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
How about trying the teeth whitening strips that are available in most drug stores? Congratulations on quitting smoking! I actually don’t see how the dentist could really tell you were a smoker. If your teeth are discolored, it could be from too much coffee drinking etc. How would he know what caused the discoloration?
April 26th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Im to say that it will take years. My dad used to do the same, and all the tar and chemecals bleed into his gums. This is a long process. He smoked since a teen and qiut at age 39. He easily controlled his smoking, 1 pack per week! But anyways, according to his phycology, it will stay on for the rest of his life. As for you im sure you smoked at a lesser life span than he did and it should take at least 3 years. Im sorry if your extreemy discouraged, but you stopped early which will make the healing process WAY more faster! =)
April 28th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Why would you deem it necessary to try to fool your dentist? Are you an adult? Face your mistakes and embrace them. You only learn through them! Hey, you’ll even get praise when you tell the dentist the truth for the willpower to quit!
Quitting is a great thing and many have gone through it. You can try slinking off to another dentist you don’t care about and have your teeth professionally cleaned. Clean your mouth out every nigth for a week or two with baking soda and water. Clean all your clothing, car, bedding, flooring, curtains and walls to try to remove all traces of smell there.
But to be really honest. A non smoker can smell and ex smoker pretty easily. Takes a good year to get completely out of your system. And until your teeth get professionally cleaned, it’s gonna be noticeable on there as well.
No one was perfect growing up. Everyone did something stupid. Some things are stupider than others, but that’s why we give our youth a pass on stupidity and dont’ allow theri records to follow them around. Even if you are in early 20’s, you are still young enough to be known as a youth. It’s when you hit about 25 that people expect less stupidity…but not everyone really grows up. Some just grow older but never wiser. You already show that you are growing wiser and that is important. Congrats!!! 2 weeks is a short time, so beware of the pitfalls that can come. I put a source in to help you to stay a non smoker! Or ex smoker.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:08 am
You’re good…
unless you have stain from nicotene or periodontal disease
Either way…Yeah for you for quiting!
You should proud…not embarrassed. Tell them you tried it…and decided not to continue! They will be very proud of you too!
=)
April 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
You’ve gotten some great answers, but I need to add something. PLEASE do tell your dentist and hygienist that you are a previous smoker. They should be doing an oral cancer exam on all of their patients, but if they know you used to smoke it will make it that much more important.
Also, if you do have stain from smoking it will make it easier for them to personalize their advice for your situation if you tell the truth about where it came from. For example, if you say the stain is from drinking Pepsi they will talk about making sure it is sugar free and how soda can effect your oral health. It will not be the best advice for you. Please just tell the truth. Healthcare providers should not be judgemental so you should have nothing to worry about.
Again, CONGRATULATIONS on quitting! It is a huge accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself.