An expert has explained a shocking long-term side effect of ‘vaping tongue’ that makes the habit all the more unappealing.
There are numerous red flags and warnings that health experts have pointed out to those who may be looking to take up vaping, but here’s one more if you’re still on the fence.
A dentist has previously explained the damage that can be caused by vaping, resulting in something called “vaping tongue” that can change the way your mouth works.
What is vaping tongue?
Although many consider vaping to be a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes, the habit comes with its own caveats.
There’s a reason the UK bans the sale of cigarettes to future generations and restricts the marketing of vapes.
With the long-term effects of vaping yet to be seen, many see it as a safe alternative, but it turns out that “vaping tongue” is a known side effect of the habit.
It can be described as the temporary loss or reduction of the ability to taste flavors while vaping.
Your smoking history, dehydration, overexposure to some flavors, or desensitization to flavors may also play a role.
What are the long-term side effects?
Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, editor-in-chief of Dental Economics, and Tom Viola, RPh, CCP, a board-certified pharmacist with more than 30 years of experience, spoke about the dangers of vaping in a YouTube video on the Dental Economics channel.
Viola revealed that it’s all about “scalding the tissues” on our tongues, as vape pens generate temperatures of around 120°C-150°C.
“You’re inhaling this vape, this vape mist or aerosol, [and it] doesn’t have enough time to cool down between the end of the vape pen and your mucous membrane, so you end up scalding or burning or somehow injuring your tongue,” he explained.
The doctor added: “The temperature is still pretty high by the time it gets to the back of your tongue, which is where a lot of your taste buds are, and so the association there is ‘I can’t taste anything anymore.
He warned that it would prevent you from tasting anything nice again, or that it would make some things “taste awful.
Viola added that in addition to tissue irritation, vaping can also lead to xerostomia, a condition that “doesn’t allow you to spread saliva [and] food particles around your taste buds so you can taste your food.
Are the effects of vaping tongue permanent?
vaping tongue is a long-term worry for those with the habit (Getty Stock Photo)
Viola said: “I think a lot of people realize that if they stopped vaping for a period of time, their xerostomia would clear up and their taste would come back.
But you know, vaping itself is addictive and it’s really hard to stop vaping once it becomes part of your lifestyle.”
How much do we know about vaping tongue?
Although a growing number of medical professionals are speaking out about vaper’s tongue, there hasn’t been much scientific research to really understand it.
Benjamin Chaffee, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, told Healthline: “There is currently no reliable evidence on how common the condition is or the mechanisms that cause it.
“This is another example of the many things we don’t know about how vaping affects the body. It’s a reason for more research and a reason to approach these products with caution.”
