If you’ve recently switched to vaping you might have noticed that your gums are bleeding, but this never happened when you were smoking. What is going on?  Now every time you brush your teeth, there’s  blood. Smoking cigarettes is vaso-constrictive, this means it makes your blood vessel- especially the peripheral ones –  like your gums –  tighten up –  it’s like they are being squeezed every time you have a cigarette. MRI scans of people smoking have shown the blood supply to their fingers decreases by a considerable amount, and, as mentioned  the same will be happening to your gums. So any gum disease that is there due to the smoking – (and there will be some –  usually with a  build up of plaque) is masked due to the vaso-constrictive effect of the tobacco. As soon as you top smoking, your gums will bleed if there is gum disease, as the vaso constrictive effects of smoking is no longer there. The smoking has been masking your problem, so when you stop smoking, what you see is your true gum condition. The blood vessels are no longer squeezed, and they can function normally and deliver oxygen and nutrient rich blood back to your poor gums. The bleeding could be seen as a good thing – as it is telling you about the gum disease –  and you can now do something about it! The obvious first step is to visit  your dentist and get a  professional clean, start flossing after you clean your teeth,  and definitely don’t start smoking cigarettes again. If you leave gum disease to develop, it can eventually  dissolve away your jawbone and your teeth fall out – not a good look! Evidence – both scientific and anecdotal suggests that smokers who stop or switch, experience an increase in gum bleeding. It can take a little time for your gums to restore themselves back to normal, but well worth the wait if it prevents other problems. So,  stop smoking permanently, brush 2-3 times a day, mouthwash in between and floss twice a day, and visit your dentist –  you’ve gotten rid of the fag breath-  you don’t want rotten teeth instead!