Dentist explains hidden dangers of nicotine pouches that most people don't realise

A dentist has revealed the health risks associated with a nicotine product widely used in quitting and reducing smoking.

In 2026 it is universally accepted in medicine that smoking is bad for you, whether it's cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or chewing tobacco, it's harmful.

Meanwhile, the NHS view on vaping and other non-tobacco-related nicotine forms is that they are a useful as a way for someone to quit smoking, though the full health effects of them are not yet clear.

Nicotine pouches are another product which can help someone who is trying to quit smoking, with the idea being that they can get the nicotine from a less harmful source while they wean themselves off.

These are a small, teabag-like container containing flavoured nicotine, and are placed in the top lip where the flavour and the nicotine are released.

But dentists have now warned that this could have some adverse health effects for people who are using them to quit smoking.

The pouches are placed under the upper lip (AndreyPopov/Getty)

The World Health Organisation has said that nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular, with their use 'spreading rapidly'.

Nicotine pouches work by being placed on the gums inside the upper lip, and the nicotine then starts to dissolve and is absorbed through the mouth, a bit like chewing tobacco.

Dr Andrew Huberman and Dr Staci Whitman went over the risks of the pouches in a video on YouTube, explaining that they are usually used for around 20-30 minutes.

"It's quite a long time to have that up in the mucosa, along the bone and on your teeth, that potentially has some sugar in it," said Dr Whitman, who went on to compare it to 'sucking on a hard candy'.

However, this was far from the only issue that she found patients had been experiencing after using the pouches.

"We're seeing changes to the cellular structure up in that area, so you can see leukoplakia, which is like white patching, which can be pre-cancerous," the doctor warned.

They contain flavoured nicotine (Aninka Bongers-Sutherland/Getty)

She went on to urge people to 'get checked out', adding: "We are seeing bone loss and gum recession. Anytime you put anything into the mouth, it's going to change and shift the microbiome, and that could be a filling, that could be a piece of gum, anything."

Dr Whitman is not the only dentist to highlight this, with TikToker thelondondentist also making a video on his page drawing attention to the white patches on the gums in a video on his channel.

"It's really common for the teeth right next to where the snus is held to get a load of gum recession," he said.

Dr Vinayak Prasad is the Unit Head of the Tobacco Free Initiative for the World Health Organisation, and called for 'evidence-based safeguards' on the pouches, saying: “The use of nicotine pouches is spreading rapidly, while regulation struggles to keep pace.

“Governments must act now with strong, evidence-based safeguards.”