'Nine-year vaping habit left me with black teeth and £17K out of pocket'

'Nine-year vaping habit left me with black teeth and £17K out of pocket'Stacey Gardiner says she has forked out roughly £17,200 on the habit after starting in December 2017CommentsNewsHoward Lloyd Regional content editor14:00, 14 Apr 2026Updated 14:10, 14 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesStacey Gardiner saysthe habit left her with black teeth(Image: SWNS)A woman claims a nine-year habit has left her with two "black" front teeth - after splashing out £17,200 on it. Stacey Gardiner, 41, had never been a smoker before taking up vaping in December 2017, initially using rechargeable devices before quickly switching to disposables as vape shops started "popping up" locally.‌She would get through five vapes weekly and occasionally finished a standard 600-puff device in a single day, forking out £120 monthly. She initially spotted a dark mark at the top of her front right tooth five years ago in August 2021, though it "didn't occur" to her what might be causing it – and it has now spread to cover the tops of both front teeth.‌Following an emergency dental visit last year to extract two molars, Stacey says she raised concerns about her two front teeth with the dentist - who suggested the deterioration was probably "down to vaping".‌Stacey has remained on the waiting list for her local NHS dentist for more than five years, with her last check-up taking place a decade ago. She quit "cold turkey" six months ago after recognising it was "just a habit" and she "didn't actually enjoy it".View 4 ImagesStacey Gardiner says vaping left her with black teeth(Image: SWNS)She discovered Nicorette patches prescribed by her GP were not proving effective and spent £200 on clip-in veneers to conceal her damaged teeth. Having regained her "smile back", Stacey believes there's insufficient awareness surrounding the harm vapes can inflict on teeth and hopes to alert "young people" to the poten...