{"id":195,"date":"2026-08-14T15:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociatesqueensplaza.com\/blog\/?p=195"},"modified":"2026-09-16T15:54:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:54:44","slug":"marijuana-and-gum-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociatesqueensplaza.com\/blog\/marijuana-and-gum-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Smoking Marijuana Increase Your Risk of Gum Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the State of New York, marijuana is legal for both recreational and medical use for any residents who are 21 and older. If you regularly smoke or have been for awhile now, one factor that you may not be considering is how doing so can impact your gum health. From a dental perspective, smoking marijuana frequently may have unintended consequences for your health. Read on to learn whether marijuana can increase your risk of gum disease in Long Island<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Can Marijuana Use Impact Oral Health?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marijuana use, especially when smoking, is known to contribute to oral side-effects that can impact your health, like dry mouth. Additionally, because THC makes you hungry, many people who regularly use marijuana consume more foods that are high in carbohydrates (think snacks like potato chips, sweets, etc.). This contributes to an increase in harmful oral bacteria, as they feed off of carbs. Additionally, when cannabis is smoked, it can result in enlarged or swollen gums and is considered an immunosuppressive. All of these factors can impact your oral health in different ways, including increasing your risk of oral cancer and gum disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does the Science Say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Columbia University dental researchers<\/a> published a study in the March issue of the Journal of Periodontology<\/em>. They found that frequent recreational use of cannabis increases the risk of gum disease. From analyzing 1,938 US adults who participated in the CDC\u2019s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they found that the 27 percent of participants who reported cannabis use were more likely to experience pocket depths of those with severe or moderate gum disease than less frequent users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips to Help Prevent Gum Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you use marijuana recreationally or medically, there are some small steps you can take to minimize your risk of developing gum disease:<\/p>\n\n\n\n