Hello Cary dental friends. Today’s topic is ‘The Dangers Of Smokeless Tobacco’.
Cigarette sales at most Cary stores have decreased in the past decade, but some Cary tobacco consumers have switched to smokeless products.
There is a common misconception in the Raleigh area (especially among teens) that smokeless tobacco is harmless. This is absolutely not true. Regardless of the specific type: spit tobacco, snuff, chew, or pinch, this form of tobacco is as deadly as old-school cigarettes.
At Cary Family Dental, we encounter serious consequences of smokeless tobacco use because many occur in the mouth. Oral cancer, mouth lesions, gum disease and tooth decay are the most common dental problems caused by smokeless tobacco in North Carolina.
Keeping a pinch between your cheek and gum all day is worse than keeping an all-day sucker tucked in there. The tobacco contains almost as much sugar as the candy but delivers dangerous chemicals as an added bonus. The dangers are two-fold: the tobacco erodes the teeth and also causes the gums to pull away from teeth.
Precancerous Mouth Lesion Screening: Mouth lesions are painful sores that could eventually become cancer. If smokeless tobacco use is stopped, the lesions usually disappear within a year for North Carolina dental patients.
Oral Cancer in Cary: Smokeless tobacco use in Raleigh increases the risk for several types of life-threatening cancers including those of the mouth, gums, lips, tongue, and throat.
Oral cancers can be as deadly as lung cancer and usually require surgery. If the North Carolina patient is fortunate and the cancer is successfully removed with surgery, the collateral damage to the face, neck, or jaw is not pretty.
These are the main dental risks of smokeless tobacco. Furthermore, I should also mention two other biggies: addiction and heart disease, though those are topics for another day.
At Cary Family Dental in Cary, we perform oral cancer screenings and mouth lesions examinations. To receive more information, or schedule an appointment, call 919-371-4428.
If want to quit using smokeless tobacco products, we recommend that you communicate with Dr. Acton at Cary Family Dental, your Cary primary care doctor, or your Cary pharmacist.
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