Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search


Español  Other Languages


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People
 Search

		Submit


*Tips From Former Smokers* ®








Brett P.’s Story						Español (Spanish)							Print
																Related Pages
										BrettMeet Brett P.Brett lives in New Mexico and started smoking menthol cigarettes at age 16 to impress a girl. He kept it up for 30 years, smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day. By his mid-30s, Brett had gum disease—a danger for all people who smoke. Because of his gum disease, the tissues and bones holding Brett’s teeth in place were breaking down. During each visit, his dentist asked, “Are you still smoking?”
By age 42, Brett had lost most of his teeth, including 16 during one surgery. With his mouth still swollen, Brett continued to smoke. “There I would be, standing outside having a cigarette,” he said. “I was still completely addicted and in denial.”
Brett has now been smokefree for 4 years. “Life is so much better without smoking,” he says. “You’re not constantly thinking about your next cigarette.”On This Page
			Brett P.'s VideosBrett P.'s BiographyAdditional ResourcesMore Related Stories
		Free Quitting ResourcesTelephone
1-800-QUIT-NOW
1-855-DÉJELO-YA (Español)
1-800-838-8917 (中文)
1-800-556-5564 (한국어)
1-800-778-8440 (Tiếng Việt)Smartphone Apps/Text
Text QUITNOW to 333888—Message and data rates may apply
quitSTART appexternal iconWeb
Quit Smoking (En Español)
Smokefree.govexternal icon (En Español)
Asian Smokers’ Quitlineexternal iconBrett P.’s VideosBrett P.’s Tip AdLow Resolution Video
Brett started smoking cigarettes at age 16. By his mid-30s, Brett had gum disease—a danger for all people who smoke. By age 42, he had lost most of his teeth, including 16 during one surgery. In this TV ad, Brett says that your smile says a lot about you, and smoking can take that smile away.Brett P.’s StoryLow Resolution Video
Brett started smoking when he was 16 to impress a girl. By his mid-thirties, he had gum disease and the tissues and bones holding his teeth in place were breaking down. In this video, Brett talks about his addiction. Even right after surgery to pull out 16 teeth, Brett was still smoking.Brett P.: Tooth Loss Isn’t PrettyLow Resolution Video
Brett smoked cigarettes and lost all of his front teeth—top and bottom—by the time he was 42. He had gum disease, which is a risk for people who smoke. In this video, Brett talks about trying to hide his tooth loss, even from his wife.Felicita R. and Brett P.’s AdLow Resolution Video
Felicita started smoking at age 12 and Brett at age 16. Neither of them knew that smoking could harm their gums and teeth. In this bilingual TV ad, Brett and Felicita advise people not to smoke if they want to keep their teeth and their smiles.On This Page
			Brett P.'s VideosBrett P.'s BiographyAdditional ResourcesMore Related Stories
		Free Quitting ResourcesTelephone
1-800-QUIT-NOW
1-855-DÉJELO-YA (Español)
1-800-838-8917 (中文)
1-800-556-5564 (한국어)
1-800-778-8440 (Tiếng Việt)Smartphone Apps/Text
Text QUITNOW to 333888—Message and data rates may apply
quitSTART appexternal iconWeb
Quit Smoking (En Español)
Smokefree.govexternal icon (En Español)
Asian Smokers’ Quitlineexternal iconPersons with disabilities experiencing problems accessing these videos should contact CDC-INFO at CDC-INFO email form: https://www.cdc.gov/info, 800-232-4636 or the TTY number at (888) 232-6348 and ask for a 508 Accommodation PR#9342. If emailing please type “508 Accommodation PR#9342” without quotes in the subject line of the email. Please include the URL of the site in the Subject line of your email request that you would like to access.
View more *Tips*videos sorted by name, disease and specific groups
View the *Tips*YouTube video playlistTop of PageBrett P.’s Biography
Brett lives in New Mexico and desperately wishes he had a better story about why he lost most of his teeth by age 42. The truth is that smoking cigarettes played a large part in ruining Brett’s natural smile. His mother was dentist, so he had good dental care as a child and saw a dentist regularly as an adult.
Brett
However, Brett started smoking menthol cigarettes at age 16 to impress a girl who worked as a waitress at a late-night diner. “I still remember smoking, but not the name of that waitress!” he said.
Brett switched to non-mentholated cigarettes and smoked about a pack a day. By his mid-30s, he had gum disease—a danger for all people who smoke. Because of his gum disease, the tissues and bones holding Brett’s teeth in place were breaking down. During each visit, his dentist asked, “Are you still smoking?”
Around age 40, Brett started losing teeth. Two years later, he learned that 16 more teeth needed to come out, including all of his front teeth—both top and bottom. After surgery, while his mouth and gums were still healing, Brett continued to smoke. “There I would be, standing outside having a cigarette. I was still completely addicted and in denial, even after I lost a bunch of teeth,” he said.
It took a while to learn how to talk correctly with partial dentures—and talking was Brett’s business as a radio personality. “It’s almost like having a really big wad of gum in your mouth, except it’s hard. And it’s plastic. And it’s not supposed to be there.”
Brett smoked cigarettes for more than 30 years. After trying to quit smoking several times, he finally quit for good with the help of nicotine patches. He now knows that he can’t smoke even one puff of a cigarette, or else he could relapse. “Life is so much better without smoking,” Brett says. “You’re not constantly thinking about your next cigarette.”
Since his surgery, it’s been hard for Brett to accept the way he looks, with only 12 real teeth left. Brett puts his false teeth in first thing in the morning—and he takes them out in the dark, just before going to bed. He doesn’t want his wife to see the empty spaces in his mouth where he used to have teeth.
Brett hopes that sharing his story will convince people who smoke to quit as soon as possible. “My wake-up call was losing most of my teeth,” he says.Top of PageAdditional Resourcesdoctor with patientGum (Periodontal) DiseaseGet the Factsmenthol cigarettesMenthol CigarettesGet the Factspharmacist with patientQuit Smoking MedicinesTop of PageMore Related Stories
More Real Stories about gum disease:FelicitaMeet Felicita R.See all *Tips*Participant StoriesTop of Page
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  July 26, 2023						Source: 	Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
					Facebook
        Twitter
        LinkedIn
        Syndicate home*Tips From Former Smokers* ®
About the Campaignplus icon
Frequently Asked Questions
*Tips* Impact and Resultsplus icon
Publications and Evaluation Results
Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S.
How to Quit Smokingplus icon
5 Ways Quitlines Helpplus icon
Top 10 Qs about Quitlines
National Texting Portal
quitSTART App
7 Common Withdrawal Symptoms
Tips For Quitting
Learn About Quit Smoking Medicinesplus icon
Three Reasons to Use Medicines When You Quitplus icon
They make quitting less painful
Quit smoking medicines are much safer than smoking
They help you get through the toughest times
How Quit Smoking Medicines Work
Quit Smoking Medicinesplus icon
Nicotine Patch
Nicotine Lozenge
Nicotine Gum
Nicotine Oral Inhaler
Nicotine Nasal Spray
Combining Medicines
Varenicline
Bupropion SR
Getting Coaching with Medicine
Quitting without Medicine
Five New Ways to Quit with Medicines
Six Quick Tipsplus icon
Medicine Tips Just for You
Why Quitting Smoking Is Hard
Quitting Storiesplus icon
Betty’s Story
Daniel’s Story
Select-Lot Varenicline Recall
Real Stories
Diseases/Conditions Featured in the Campaignplus icon
Asthma
Buerger’s Disease
Cancer
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Diabetes
Dual Use of Tobacco Products
Gum (Periodontal) Disease
Smoking and Heart Disease, Stroke and Peripheral Artery Disease
HIV
Mental Health Conditions: Depression and Anxiety
Pregnancy
Vision Loss and Blindness
For Specific Groupsplus icon
All Groups (General Public)
People With Disabilities
African American People
American Indian and Alaska Native People
Asian American People
Caregivers
Hispanic and Latino People
People Living with HIV
LGBTQ+ People
Military Service Members and Veterans
People With Mental Health Conditions
Pregnant or Planning to Have a Baby
Partnersplus icon
Faith-Based Organizations
Organizations Serving Military Members and Veteransplus icon
Media Outreach Toolkit
Organizations Serving Public Housing Residents
Campaign Resourcesplus icon
Social Media Content
Videos
Feature
Images and Photos
Print Ads
Motivational Cards
Newsroomplus icon
Matte Articlesplus icon
*Tips* Campaign for the General Public
*Tips* Campaign for African American Communities
*Tips* Campaign for American Indian / Alaska Native Communities
*Tips* Campaign for Asian American Communities
*Tips* Campaign for Faith Communities
*Tips* Campaign for Hispanic/Latino Communities
*Tips* Campaign for LGBTQ+ Community
*Tips* Campaign for People With Mental Health Conditions
*Tips* Campaign for Military Members/Veterans To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address                        
What's this                                     
Submit
 Smoking & Tobacco Use
Smokefree.govexternal icon
National Cancer Instituteexternal icon


About CDC
					Contact Us
					800-232-4636
 Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Pinterest Snapchat
 CONTACT CDC
				Contact Us
							Call 800-232-4636
							Email Us
			ABOUT CDC
				About CDC
							Jobs
							Funding
			POLICIES
				Accessibility
							External Links
							Privacy
							Policies
							No Fear Act
							FOIA
							OIG
							Nondiscrimination
							Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			CONNECT WITH US
				Facebook
								Twitter
								Instagram
								LinkedIn
							Youtube
								Pinterest
								Snapchat
								Email
			LANGUAGES
				Español
							繁體中文
							Tiếng Việt
							한국어
							Tagalog
							Русский
							العربية
							Kreyòl Ayisyen
							Français
							Polski
							Português
							Italiano
							Deutsch
							日本語
							فارسی
							English


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
			Accessibility
			External Links
			Privacy
			Policies
			No Fear Act
			FOIA
			Nondiscrimination
			OIG
			Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			USA.gov


Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy Close
 Links with this icon  indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
				Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
				You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
				CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Website Disclaimers
 Cancel Continue