Electronic cigarettes are supposed to be better for your health than the tobacco kind. But that wasn't the case for a Florida man when an electronic smoke blew up in his face Monday, knocking out his teeth and leaving him with severe burns and other injuries.

Vietnam vet Tom Holloway, of Niceville, has been trying to kick the nasty habit for about two years, reported Florida's WEAR TV.

His wife rushed to his study when she heard a noise "like a firecracker," according to a neighbour quoted in the report. Holloway's electronic cigarette had exploded, sending red-hot debris around the room that melted everything it touched, WEAR said.

Holloway was treated at a burn centre after the blast "knocked out all his teeth and part of his tongue," according to a neighbour.

Fire chief Butch Parker speculated the cigarette's battery may have ignited.

"It was basically like him holding a bottle rocket in his mouth," he told the TV station.