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Actress Lily James has disclosed that, at age 36, she has just needed her first filling. The reason? Flavored vapes, as reported by the Daily Mail yesterday.
‘Apparently they can really mess up your teeth,’ she said. ‘I’d never had a filling before, and I have one now.’
Leading dentists indicate that her case is part of a worrying trend, with increasing instances of tooth decay, gum issues, and enamel damage among young people who frequently use vapes.
About 5.5million adult Britons vape, according to a 2025 YouGov survey for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
However, the growing prevalence among teenagers is what has experts deeply concerned. About 7 percent of 11 to 17-year-olds are now vaping, and one in five teens has experimented with it, according to the same survey.
Most have never smoked, so they’re being exposed to potential health risks from a product that was originally designed to help smokers quit.
These health risks are starting to manifest in patients’ oral health, notes Smita Mehra, principal dentist at The Neem Tree clinics in London and Surrey.
‘Vaping is far more addictive than tobacco for many young users, and it’s harming their oral health in worrying ways,’ she says.
Actress Lily James has revealed that she’s just had to have her first ever filling at the age of 36 because of her vaping
Dr. Mehra is observing more young patients with numerous cavities, plaque accumulation, and early gum disease—problems usually uncommon in those under 30.
‘These are conditions we expect to see in older individuals due to smoking,’ she explains, ‘but they are emerging much earlier now because of the frequency of vaping and the harm it inflicts.’
The flavours make vaping feel harmless, she adds, ‘but one of the main problems is that vaping causes dry mouth’.
Vape liquids contain propylene glycol, a chemical that pulls moisture from oral tissues and dries it out, as well as vegetable glycerin, which coats the mouth with a sticky film that clings to teeth and cheeks, blunts saliva’s natural rinse job and makes plaque stick.
‘Nicotine in vapes also reduces saliva flow and warm vapour speeds evaporation, further drying the mouth,’ adds Dr Mehra.
‘The end result is less saliva – and saliva is your natural defence system. It washes away bacteria and neutralises acid. Without it, food sticks to teeth, plaque builds up and decay starts.’
Essentially, saliva acts like a natural detergent, constantly rinsing away debris and protecting tooth enamel.
But with less of it, bacteria are free to spread, acids linger longer and early decay can take hold, especially near the gumline or between teeth.
‘Dryness from vaping affects the gums, too,’ she adds. ‘It can lead to inflammation, bleeding and infection – and the nicotine in e-liquids reduces blood flow to the gums, making things worse.’
Dry mouth is a risk factor for tooth decay, tooth loss and gum disease, Dr Mehra says. ‘We often see tartar and staining building up on the side of the mouth where someone holds the vape. It’s a pattern we now associate with regular vapers – and increasingly seeing in younger patients.’
And the scientific evidence backs up the concerns about dry mouth: vapers were 80 per cent more likely to suffer from dry mouth than people who didn’t vape, according to a US study published this year in the JDR Clinical & Translational Research journal.
It’s not just what’s in the vape that’s concerning, but how often it’s used, too.
‘People might once have had five or ten cigarettes a day,’ says Dr Mehra. ‘Now we see constant vaping – at home, at a desk – and with that, a constant dry mouth.’
And it’s not just the gums that are affected. Vaping tends to damage the front teeth most, says James Goolnik, a dentist and founder of Bow Lane Dental in London.
‘Smoke hits the front teeth first,’ he explains. ‘The tongue protects the back teeth.’
The repeated exposure to heat, chemicals and the drying vapour can wear away enamel on the visible surfaces of teeth and make young patients more prone to staining, decay and damage in the part of the mouth that matters most for confidence and appearance.
Researchers have found that long-term vapers tend to develop oral bacteria that cause bleeding gums, plaque build-up and even bone loss
‘Many people assume vaping spares the mouth, but emerging science shows otherwise,’ he adds.
And, as Ms James suggested, those flavours can be a problem.
‘The sweet flavourings and added sugars in many vape liquids act like fuel for decay-causing bacteria, too, and tip the oral microbiome [the community of microbes in the mouth] out of balance.
‘Vapers develop a distinct microbial community in their mouths that correlates with worsening gum disease over time.’
A study in the American Society for Microbiology’s mSystems journal found that long-term vapers tend to develop oral bacteria that cause bleeding gums, plaque build-up and even bone loss – problems typically seen in older smokers.
Dr Goolnik says: ‘Meanwhile, the vapour itself – which can contain toxic aldehydes and reactive carbonyls formed when vape liquids are heated – can damage cells in the mouth, causing inflammation and increase the risk of them becoming malignant [cancerous]. In short, vapes aren’t harmless to your smile.’
A 2024 study by University College London and the University of Innsbruck found that vape users showed pre-cancerous DNA changes in cheek cells – similar to those seen in smokers.
As well as their direct effect on the teeth, flavoured vapes may make users eat more of the bad stuff generally. They often mimic the taste of cola, candy or fruit, and some dentists believe this could be training youngsters to crave the same sugary snacks that damage teeth.
Dr Goolnik says it is common to see young patients reach for fizzy drinks or sweets straight after vaping.
‘They help young people develop a sweet tooth,’ he argues. ‘After vaping, they tend to make poor food choices, usually high-sugar drinks and snacks.’
Certainly what’s known about nicotine supports this. It affects appetite and rewards pathways in the brain. The quick dopamine spike from nicotine has been shown to be followed by a dip, driving cravings for fast pleasures – such as sugar.
Some older or lower-quality e-liquids also contain sweeteners.
A 2022 paper in Frontiers in Oral Health found that certain vape flavours can alter saliva and how we perceive sweetness, possibly nudging users towards sweeter foods.
The result, dentists warn, is a perfect storm of dry mouth, sugar cravings and sticky plaque bacteria all working together to fuel decay.
Richard Holliday, a senior lecturer in restorative dentistry at Newcastle University, says the research is still evolving, but dentists should take it seriously.
Dentists warn that vaping creates a perfect storm of dry mouth, sugar cravings and sticky plaque bacteria all working together to fuel decay
‘There’s growing evidence that frequent e-cigarette users, particularly young people, may face a higher risk of decay,’ he tells the Daily Mail.
He stresses that vaping is probably less harmful than smoking, but only for people who are actually switching away from cigarettes.
‘For non-smokers, especially young people, vaping is not risk-free and should be avoided.’
Dentists also point to a major government project, the Adolescent Health Study, which is now tracking 100,000 young people above the age of ten to monitor how vaping affects long-term health – including oral, lung and mental health.
The bad news is that by the time pain or visible damage appears, it may already be too late to reverse.
Enamel does not grow back – and once it is lost, teeth are vulnerable to sensitivity, decay and cracking. Many patients end up needing crowns, root canals or even gum surgery.
With more studies under way and younger patients arriving with dental issues their parents never faced, experts say it is time to stop thinking of vapes as harmless.
