Is it normal to worry about my teeth and gums?

The advice to quit is by far the best, if you knew what it was truly doing to your body you'd be haunted by it. However, to avoid being a hypocrite and because i know its very hard, heres plan B. Purchase an antibacterial mouth wash and use for as long as you can bare the tingly sensation for. Brush at least twice a day, preferably after each and every meal. Changing your cigarettes to menthol cigarettes may help you feel a bit better about the mouth situation because they don;t leave the same taste. Some say menthol cigarettes help you cut back also.

Best wishes to the father of moomus.

Please give up smoking. My dad at this minute currently in hospital dying of lung cancer. If you carry on the last thing on your mind will be your teeth...

My mom is a dental hygienist. Quit smoking. Seriously, if you're that concerned about your teeth and gums, then you should want to do anything to keep them healthy. No amount of treatment will be successful if you continue to return to the beginning because you refuse to quit smoking.
No amount of brushing, flossing, and rinsing will get rid of the staining the tobacco leaves on your teeth. If you're looking for "pearly whites," you won't get them unless you quit and even getting a professional whitening treatment afterwards won't get them to that "movie star white" color because you'll keep re-staining them.
Your gums on the other hand, aren't as forgiving. You could cause all sorts of gum disease and sores in your mouth from prolonged smoking. Your gums will swell and it will lessen the strong foundation that your teeth sit inside. Because of this your teeth will become weak and loose and you WILL lose them.
Please, if you're so concerned about the health of your mouth, quit smoking. Otherwise, I suggest you brush and floss after everytime you smoke. It won't do much, but it MIGHT prolong the longterm damage you're causing to your mouth.

I'm a hygienist and I refer out my patients to Ashline. Even though I have patients that have meticulous oral care at home, if they are heavy smokers, I put them on a 3 month re-care instead of the usual 6 month visit for healthy patients.

While having good oral care habits is great, tobacco still has high sugar content and other toxic effects and is going to put you at a higher risk for tooth decay, periodontal disease, apthous ulcers, tooth abscess, hyperplastic/fibrotic gums, and ORAL CANCER.

Anyway, if you are going to continue smoking, I recommend very thorough and meticulous oral home care. This includes brushing your teeth 3-5 times a day for 3 minutes, and flossing 2 times a day. If you have dry mouth due to smoking, you might want to also rinse with Biotene or a xylitol rinse for relief as needed. On top of that, depending on the current status of your periodontium and other factors such as your age and patient compliance, you might want to see a dentist and/or hygienist every 3 months.

Keep in mind that your mouth is part of your entire body, and oral bacteria has the capability to travel throughout it. Tobacco is very detrimental to your oral cavity.

I understand that it is difficult to quit, however, if you are interested, please visit ASHLINE.ORG for helpful resources.

My dad died on 28th November this year, so FFs give up!!! It ain't a nice way to go....

yes, brush daily.

I agree with the above comments about quitting, but...
Maybe try chewing sugar-free minty gum, especially right after you smoke. It helps you make more saliva, which is beneficial to the health of your mouth. Drink lots of water (or tea - like what Ribbit wrote).

I think you should drink loose leaf japanese green tea. Just swirl it in the mouth a little and really savor the flavor, it's excellent for gums and teeth as well as overall health.