Sarah finds her smile again after ditching 60 a day habit

Fitness fan Sarah has got her smile back in more ways than one since quitting smoking.

South Oxfordshire based Sarah, who is in her sixties, kicked her 60 a day habit two decades ago but is still reaping the benefits of making the change today. Now she is encouraging other local people to ditch the addiction with the help of Oxfordshire County Council.

Like so many, Sarah started smoking in her teens along with her friends, at a time when it was seen as fashionable.

“I was very much into the pub and club scene when growing up and smoking went hand in hand with drinking and dancing, and there were no bans in public places as there are now, so it was easy to get hooked,” she explained.

Although it was initially the desire to be fitter that motivated her to cut down, it wasn’t until a visit to her dentist in her forties that she realised the full extent of damage smoking had done.

Sarah said: “Ironically, I was also very much into my fitness at that time and regularly attended aerobic classes and gym sessions. I was starting to get a bit wheezy while using some of the cardiac equipment and thought it would be helpful if I cut down. 

“But the main reason I quit was because I lost most of my top teeth due to gum disease. My dentist told me this was because I was starving my mouth of oxygen and smoking was a key factor in this. My teeth were literally falling out one by one when I would just bite on something even as soft as a roll or a piece of cheese.”

Eventually she lost all her top teeth, and after some failed attempts with dentures, she decided to take the plunge and invest in dental implants to regain her smile.

“My dental surgeon told me categorically she would not carry out the operation unless I gave up smoking completely because my mouth needed to be as clean as possible to ensure success. The surgery was very expensive (I had to take out a loan to cover the cost) and so I made sure I never smoked cigarettes again.” 

Quitting smoking not only gave her back her smile, but she noticed a big difference in other ways too.

Sarah explained: “I am now a fairly healthy weight and am very active. I attend a gym two to three times a week and go hiking regularly with friends and with local rambler groups, walking between 20 to 30 miles a week. I’m pretty sure I would have been unable to do that if I had carried on smoking 60 cigarettes a day!

“I felt free of an addiction once I had given up nicotine completely and my clothes and house no longer smelt disgusting. I now absolutely detest the smell of smoking.”

Sarah admits going cold turkey was almost impossible so used multiple therapies to aid her in quitting for good, including patches, gum and lozenges, and recommends Oxfordshire County Council’s Stop for Life Oxon support services for anybody who would like to quit themselves.

“I would definitely have used the local Oxfordshire services had they been available to me, because at the time I was trying to quit, half of my friends were still smoking, and that type of external support would have been invaluable. So I would urge anyone trying to quit to seek help of that kind.”

Free support is available to all smokers in Oxfordshire and can include one to one coaching, a free rechargeable vape kit and or nicotine replacement therapy for up to 12 weeks.

Oxfordshire County Council’s stop smoking service, Stop for Life Oxon, has already helped thousands of people across Oxfordshire quit smoking using tools like vapes and other nicotine replacement therapies.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Public Health, said: “Oral health is just one thing that can be massively impacted by smoking. People that smoke are at a higher risk of gum disease, staining, tooth loss – like Sarah suffered – and mouth cancer.

“We know how daunting it can be for people to give up smoking. So that’s why there are tools and aids to support everyone in their journey to a smoke free life. Our Stop for Life Oxon service provides free support, which is proven to help people who want to quit smoking in Oxfordshire.”

Residents can find out more about the support on offer to help quit smoking for good by visiting the Stop for Life Oxon website, or phoning 0800 122 3790.

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