Dental Implant Surgeons Urge Newport Beach Residents to Quit Smoking with 13 Top Tips, PART 5

This five-part article series provides smokers and tobacco users with 13 tips for kicking the habit permanently through social, psychological and physical assistance.

Welcome to the final installment of this five-part article series on the top tips for successfully kicking a smoking habit. Over the course of this epic series, we have provided the advice of the dental healthcare professionals who routinely repair the damage done to teeth and gums that have had to endure a lifelong smoking habit. The dental implant surgeons, who have provided Newport Beach residents with new teeth, also have a great arsenal of advice when it comes to quitting smoking and so far, they have discussed the following 11 tips with us:

Quit Smoking Tip # 1: Define your precise reasons for quitting smoking and think of a powerful, personal reason that could be your motivation.

Quit Smoking Tip # 2: Don’t suddenly stop or go “Cold Turkey.”

Quit Smoking Tip # 3: Talk to your doctor about prescription medication to aid in the cessation process.

Quit Smoking Tip # 4: Make use of nicotine replacement therapy to combat the physical withdrawal symptoms.

Quit Smoking Tip # 5: Gather the support of friends, family and co-workers and think about joining a support group.

Quit Smoking Tip # 6: Find alternative ways to deal with stress - such as yoga, exercise, meditation, acupuncture or massage - because this is often the biggest trigger for smoking.

Quit Smoking Tip # 7: “Avoid old triggers and associations, such as the pubs, bars, restaurants and coffee shops where you used to smoke,” warns a dental implant surgeon in Newport Beach. “Also avoid habits you used to combine with smoking, such as drinking alcohol.”

Quit Smoking Tip # 8: Eliminate all vestiges of your smoking habit from your home by throwing away ashtrays, lighters and cigarettes and by thoroughly cleaning your house!

Quit Smoking Tip # 9: You may not be successful the first few times you try to quit smoking. What’s important is that you learn every time why it was you failed and keep trying.

Quit Smoking Tip # 10: Get out more and get more exercise. It’ll help you feel better and stay in shape and the release of endorphins will help to ease your withdrawals.

Quit Smoking Tip # 11: “Start improving your diet by introducing more fresh fruits and vegetables,” says a Newport Beach dentist. “Don’t try to diet while quitting smoking, though.”

Now let’s look at two final bits of advice that could help you permanently quit smoking and, in doing so, enjoy a much better quality of life and well being!

Picture courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Quit Smoking Tip # 12: Reward Yourself!

Calculate how much money you will have saved on cigarettes and, at the end of smoke-free month # 1, use that money to reward yourself! Saving money is one of the amazing benefits of kicking the habit and you deserve a treat at the end of your first month, so go out and enjoy it!

Quit Smoking Tip # 13: Track Your Health Improvements

“The great thing about quitting smoking is that the improvements in your health are immediately apparent and you can track them quite clearly from day-to-day,” says a Newport Beach dental implant surgeon. “Right from day 1, you’ll find yourself with more energy and breathing a little easier. Your blood pressure will lower to healthier levels and your heartbeat will slow down. Within two or three days, your taste and sense of smell will return and with weeks to months, your risk of heart attack will lower substantially. Lung function improves, overall health improves and you’ll find yourself feeling so much better.

“In the long term, the benefits of quitting smoking include a much lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, gum disease and other kinds of cancer,” says the Newport Beach dentist. “So, quit smoking… do it for your health, your family and your smile.”

Corona Del Mar Dental Implant Surgeons Urge Residents to Quit Smoking with 13 Top Tips, PART 4

This five-part article series provides smokers and tobacco users with 13 tips for kicking the habit permanently through social, psychological and physical assistance.

Welcome to the fourth installment of this five-part article series on the top tips for successfully kicking a smoking habit. Previously, in Part 3, we spoke to some Corona Del Mar dental implant surgeons about the advice they have for those people who are trying to get healthy by quitting smoking and they provided the following three important tips:

Quit Smoking Tip # 6: Find alternative ways to deal with stress, because this is often the biggest trigger for smoking.

Quit Smoking Tip # 7: Cut down on or avoid whatever you used to associate with cigarettes, such as drinking alcohol. Also, start going to different pubs, coffee shops and restaurants to avoid places you used to associate with smoking.

Quit Smoking Tip # 8: Eliminate all vestiges of your smoking habit from your home by throwing away ashtrays, lighters and cigarettes and by cleaning the stink of it out of your upholstery, clothing, curtains, carpets and life!

Let’s take a look at another three useful tips…

Quit Smoking Tip # 9: Never Stop Trying

“You may not be successful the first time you try to quit smoking. You may not be successful the first 10 or even 20 times you try to quit smoking, but what’s important is that you keep trying,” say Corona Del Mar dental implants surgeons. “Each time you relapse, figure out what circumstance or emotion it was that lead to your downfall and the next time you try to quit, address that weakness, or figure out a way to avoid it entirely. Kicking any addiction is a learning process, so as long as you’re figuring our more about what you need to be successful, no relapse is a disaster. Just don’t take too long to set another date for quitting; give yourself a week or two.”

Quit Smoking Tip # 10: Get Active

“I’ve asked many patients who used to smoke what they personally found to be the best aid in their journey to better health and one of the most frequently repeated items is exercise,” says one Corona Del Mar dentist. “Getting outdoors and getting active, even if it’s just taking the dog for a walk or mowing the lawn, have a number of really positive impacts. First of all, exercise distracts you from your immediate cravings and withdrawals by physically taking you away from any triggers or negative associations. Secondly, exercise releases endorphins, which help you feel happy and thirdly, exercise tends to make you not want to smoke.”

Try signing up for team sports or at a gym so that you can get away from any circumstance, situation or physical context that might weaken your resolve. After a good sweat and workout session, you’ll find it hard to believe you ever enjoyed smoking in the first place. Regular exercise will also help to prevent the weight gain many Corona Del Mar residents experience after quitting smoking.

Quit Smoking Tip # 11: Eat More Vegetables and Fruits

Trying to diet AND quit smoking is likely to lead to failure… there’s only so much deprivation your mind will be willing to put up with! What you can and should do, however, is improve the quality of your diet by getting more fresh fruits and vegetables and by switching to low fat dairy. A healthier diet will not only make you feel physically better about yourself, but it also makes cigarettes taste truly awful.

“As a smoker, your taste buds will have become numb to nuances in flavor, which is why you may have found yourself preferring saltier, sweeter and more unhealthy foods,” says a professional Corona Del Mar dentist. “Once you’ve quit smoking, your sense of taste will resume with a vengeance and you should use this opportunity to redefine your diet and start enjoying natural, healthy foods.”

Stay Tuned for Part 5

To read the final two tips and advice from Corona Del Mar dental implant surgeons on how to quit smoking, stay tuned for the final installment of this five-part article series.