E-cigarettes spark new health fears over ‘vape tongue’ phenomenon – are you at risk?
VAPING can make you lose your taste because of how it affects your tongue, a dentist warns.
The growing number of people using e-cigarettes is causing more people to be struck down by “vape tongue”.
Dr Stwewart Beggs, a cosmetic dentist at Chelsea Dental Clinic in London, said the issue is caused by people “absolutely caning these vapes”.
In a video on TikTok, he warned the trend is being driven by the popularity of disposable e-cigarettes.
He said: “So vape tongue is when you start to lose your taste because you’ve been vaping so much.
“This is really on the rise because of the popularity of these disposable vapes, which have all these ridiculous flavours.
“People end up absolutely caning these vapes and it causes such a massive increase in nicotine and a really dry mouth that you lose your sense of taste completely sometimes.”
Around 4.3million people in Britain — 8.3 per cent of adults — used e-cigarettes last year, according to Action on Smoking and Health.
Experts are particularly concerned about growing use in kids, one in ten children aged 11 to 15 regularly using them, according to the NHS.
At least two pupils in every year 10 classroom have vaped at one point or another, according to the health service.
Booming popularity of brands like Elf Bar and Lost Mary saw Rishi Sunak issue a public clampdown on their use in May.
The Prime Minister announced the Government is closing a loophole allowing stores to offer free samples to young people.
Dr Beggs said vaping is “really, really, really not good for your health”, but said your sense of taste can return if you follow some simple steps.
He said: “First thing, stop vaping or really cut down your vaping because that’s generally going to help.
“Second thing, it can be linked to dehydration, so start to drink more water. Make sure you’re fully hydrated just to see if that helps.
“Clean your tongue, brush your teeth, floss, use a tongue scraper — see if that helps as well.”