Does Vaping Stain Your Teeth? What the Research Shows

What the studies found

A 2023 systematic review included 27 studies on tobacco and nicotine products, mainly laboratory studies¹. In these, tooth samples or filling materials were exposed to smoke or vapour, and their colour was measured.

• Cigarettes. Pooling three studies, exposure to tobacco smoke caused a large colour change compared with no exposure.
• E-cigarettes. Two laboratory studies, both declared as industry-sponsored, gave a much smaller average change compared with unexposed samples. The range of likely values included no difference from unexposed samples.
• Heated tobacco products. Three laboratory studies gave a similar picture: a smaller average change than for cigarettes, with a range that also included no difference from unexposed samples.

The authors found limited evidence that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco cause staining less intense than traditional tobacco products¹. They rated the certainty of the evidence as low, and at least eight of the included studies declared some industry sponsorship. Laboratory results cannot show how much staining happens in people.

Why the question is not settled

• Most of the work was done outside the mouth. A laboratory cannot fully reproduce saliva, brushing, food and drink, or years of daily use.
• There are very few studies. The e-cigarette estimate rests on two of them.
• Funding. Industry sponsorship does not make a result wrong, but it is a reason to wait for independent studies.
• Vapes differ. Devices, liquids, nicotine levels and flavours vary widely, and the studies covered only a few of them.

What this means for you: vaping may stain your teeth less than smoking did. It would be a mistake to assume it cannot stain them. This article covers tooth colour only. We have not reviewed the evidence on vaping and gum health here, so we make no claim about it either way.

If your teeth are stained

The American Dental Association names tobacco among the usual causes of surface stain. It says a wide range of surface stains can be reduced by a professional clean or a whitening toothpaste². A dentist can tell whether discolouration is on the surface, inside the tooth or in a filling.

If you have switched from cigarettes, switching stops new smoke stain but does not remove what is already there. A professional clean is the usual first step. If the teeth are still darker than you would like after that, bleaching is an option to discuss with a dentist. Home bleaching products whitened teeth compared with a placebo over the short term³, although the certainty of that evidence was low to very low. Sensitivity and gum irritation were the most common side effects, usually mild and short-lived. Whitening lightens only natural teeth⁴, so fillings, crowns and veneers keep their colour and may no longer match.

Keeping the result depends on keeping stain off. A study of 60 people, half of whom smoked, followed their colour for a year after home whitening. Colour held at one year when surface stain was removed by a professional clean⁵; measured without cleaning, the teeth had darkened slightly. On one of the three measures, colour drifted back even after cleaning. It was a single study.

Reducing stain if you vape

• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth every day.
• Rinse your mouth with water after coffee, tea or red wine.
• Keep to regular check-ups, and ask for a clean when stain builds up.
• Tell your dentist that you vape, and whether you smoked before. It is part of your dental history.
• If you are planning to stop nicotine altogether, your doctor or pharmacist can advise on support.

When to see a dentist

Book an examination if:

• stain stays after brushing well for a few weeks;
• you see brown or black spots, or a spot feels rough or sticky;
• your gums bleed when you brush, or look red or swollen;
• you have a sore patch or ulcer in your mouth that is not healing;
• you want to whiten your teeth and have not had a check-up recently.

Emergencies. Increasing pain, facial swelling or a fever: see a dentist without waiting. Swelling that makes it hard to breathe, speak or swallow⁶, swelling that spreads to your eye or neck, a lot of swelling inside your mouth, or difficulty opening your mouth: go to an emergency department or call 112.

Frequently asked questions