Smoking and Pulpitis

Smokers are at higher risk for oral infections. We at Bridge Smiles Dental Group hope most people by now understand the connection between smoking and gingivitis and oral cancer. But recently, scientists discovered another harmful impact smoking has: increasing the severity and recurrence of dental pulp infections.

Inflammation is part of the immune system’s response to a disease or injury. When a tooth is infected, the inner pulp becomes inflamed (a condition we call “pulpitis”). This has the benefits of filling the area with white blood cells, restricting the flow of infected blood to the rest of the body, and of making cellular walls more permeable to immune system resources. Among those resources are antimicrobial peptides, which are molecules that attach to pathogenic bacteria and neutralize them.

In a recent study, scientists found that smokers lack antimicrobial peptides in their dental pulp. Because of this, their pulpitis was more resistant to treatment. Root canal therapy is the ordinary way of combatting a pulp infection; it allows us to remove the infected material and replace it with a sealant. But without antimicrobial peptides, small amounts of bacteria in overlooked material can linger. We’ll still do our best to care for patients with toothaches, but it is likelier smokers will need to have a tooth replaced. Some good news is that the study found antimicrobial peptides can sometimes return after the patient quits smoking.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.