[insert page=’location-button’ display=’content’]
Smoking and chewing tobacco are just as bad as each other. Chewing and smoking tobacco go hand in hand when it comes to oral and overall health.
While it is called smokeless, it is tobacco never the less.
What is Chewing Tobacco?
According to Bela Family Dentistry, smokeless tobacco is also called snuff or dip. One of the latest forms of chewing tobacco to hit the shores in the U.S. is made in Sweden and called, “Snus,” which rhymes with goose.
Available to chewers in a teabag pouch users stick the bag into between their teeth and gums for about a half an hour without spitting.
The popularity of, “Snus,” remains because it is not as messy as snuff. However, it still has all of the active ingredients as conventional chewing tobacco.
Oral Health and Chewing Tobacco
Even if you don’t smoke but enjoy a pinch between your cheek and gum, you still aren’t safe. Just as bad as cigars, pipes and cigarettes, smokeless tobacco causes:
- Chronic Bad Breath
- Discolored Teeth
- Loss of Taste and Smell
- Higher Risk of Tooth Decay and Gum Disease
Just like other types of tobacco, people who chew are in the high-risk category when it comes to oral health.
Health and Chewing Tobacco
- Just like all tobacco, chew has 28 chemicals that are known to cause cancer
- Smokeless tobacco is known for mouth, lip, tongue and pancreatic cancer
- Higher risk for colon, esophagus, and bladder cancer because of swallowing
- Tobacco causes gum irritation and periodontal disease
- Smokeless tobacco contains grit and sand causing erosion and sensitivity
Signs to Watch For
The most common signs to watch for when it comes to chewing tobacco are white patches or lesions inside your mouth or on your lips. Red sores also indicate oral cancer.
Keep in mind that precancerous spots are not always detectable. Dentists are usually the first to identify, diagnose, and treat before they become cancerous.
If you have red or white spots, see Bela Family Dentistry immediately.
Other signs to watch for include:
- Sores on lips or mouth that don’t heal
- Loose teeth
- Mouth pain
- Ear soreness
- Problems swallowing
- Lumps or growths inside mouth
Advise for Smokeless Tobacco Users
Quitting is the best defense when it comes to the dangers of chewing tobacco. If you are having a problem giving it up, talk to your doctor. In the meantime, schedule frequent appointments with your dentist in Georgia. Users have up to 78 percent more oral lesions, which could be precancerous.
If you smoke or chew and haven’t seen your dentist for some time, call, send a text or a DM, and schedule an appointment with Bela Family Dentistry today.
