I learned the hard way that smoking causes periodontal disease. (25 years ago or so) AFTER I paid the bill for a deep cleaning of my gums. Not nice. Nasty experience in the dentist's chair (deep gum excavation is NOT fun) and an amazing amount of monetary expense. So if you haven't learned that fact about smoking yet, do know that smoking wreaks havoc on your gums. And loosens your teeth so that they WILL eventually fall out.) Did I stop smoking then? Nope. But have I flossed every night of my life since then. Yup! (Though I did quit smoking, finally 15+ years ago.)
But what I just learned is brand new to my brain: "people who smoke are also at increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s" (source) Really? Can't vouch for the truth of that statement from that particular website, but if it IS true- may I suggest to those of you who haven't quit yet, AND to those of you who HAVE and are wavering in your commitment... this is another great reason to lay them down or keep them down.
You know, THEY mostly tell us about the harm smoking does to our lungs - Lung cancer, COPD, emphysema, etc. I guess because that's the most frightening thing to throw at us about smoking. It shows it can actually KILL us. What they don't mention a lot are all the other really unpleasant non-life threatening diseases and effects that occur when we smoke. Having all your teeth fall out because of smoking may not be life threatening, but it sure does affect your quality of life if you have to wear dentures or have no teeth because you can't afford dentures.
Or maybe you need an operation and they won't perform it until you quit smoking for a certain period of time. That's kind of life threatening, isn't it?
Until you're quality of life has been compromised - you won't probably "get it." I write this in the hopes that you'll "get it" before then.
