We’ve talked about how bad smoking is for your personal health several times on this blog; but we have not talked about the side effects of secondhand smoke. If you can’t be convinced to quit smoking to save your own life, here is new motivation: your kid’s health.
Think twice, even three times before you smoke around your children. Children are extremely vulnerable to the ill effects of secondhand smoke.
Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory illness, asthma, middle ear infections and tooth decay.
Yet, sadly, almost 60 percent of U.S. children 3 to 11 years old are exposed to secondhand smoke.
In addition, the more secondhand smoke a child is exposed to the more likely the child will become a smoker as an adolescent or an adult.
No amount of secondhand smoke is safe for children. If you smoke, speak with your doctor or dentist about the best way for you to quit. And if you do slip and want to smoke, go outside, away from your children’s lungs.
Not only is secondhand smoke bad for your children’s health, but smoking also may endanger your future with your kids. Lighting up has serious negative effects on the entire body, including the mouth, teeth, and gums. Besides bad breath and stained, yellow teeth, smokers also are at a greater risk for:
- Oral cancer
- Gum disease—a leading cause of tooth loss
- Slower healing after a tooth extraction or other oral surgery
- Decreased sense of smell and taste
Quit smoking today. It’s important for your health and the health of your children
Photo Credit: Parenting 4 Tomorrow Blog