With the rising popularity of vaping, experts are increasingly recognizing its potential drawbacks and side effects.
Although many individuals are encouraged to switch from smoking to vaping due to the absence of certain toxins found in cigarettes, vaping isn’t without its health concerns.
As vaping becomes more widespread, research is intensifying on its long-term and short-term health impacts, particularly concerning young people.
Recognizing the popularity of vapes among younger demographics, the UK government plans to prohibit single-use vapes starting in June of this year.
In the meantime, a health expert on TikTok is advising frequent vapers to reduce their usage before the ban takes effect.
Dr. Stewart Beggs, a cosmetic and restorative dentist located in London, warns that excessive vaping may lead to ‘vape tongue.’
He explained that one of the less commonly known side effects is a diminished sense of taste, impacting a person’s taste buds.
According to Healthline experts, regarding vape tongue: “While there isn’t much published scientific information about the condition, there appears to be plenty of anecdotal evidence supporting it, as dentists and other healthcare practitioners have taken to social media to warn about it.”
“They are urging e-cigarette users to stop or drastically cut down their usage if they have experienced this side effect.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7257577737991245082
In the video, Dr. Beggs mentioned: “So vape tongue is when you start to lose your taste because you’ve been vaping so much, and this is really on the rise because of the popularity of these disposable vapes – which have all these ridiculous flavors.
“People end up absolutely caning these vapes and it causes such a massive increase in nicotine and a really, really dry mouth that you lose your sense of taste completely sometimes.
Fortunately, Dr. Beggs provided simple solutions to counter this side effect, reassuring that it is usually only temporary.
He advised: “First thing, stop vaping or really cut down your vaping because that is really gonna help.”
This suggestion is straightforward; if vaping is causing vape tongue, reducing or stopping it may alleviate the issue.
He continued: “Second thing, it can be linked to dehydration so start to drink more water and make sure you are fully hydrated. Just to see if that helps.”
In most health-related matters, staying hydrated is beneficial, and Dr. Beggs suggests that proper hydration might help minimize this side effect.
He also advised: “Also clean your tongue, brush your teeth, floss, use a tongue scraper and see how much that helps.”
Dr. Beggs further emphasized that improved dental hygiene could assist in alleviating the condition—encouraging regular brushing.
He concluded by stating: “If this helps, cut down how much you are vaping because you don’t want to get vaper’s tongue back because you want to taste your food.”