They say that cigarette smoking is bad for your health. So people turn to other alternatives. Chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, snus – these are different kinds of smokeless tobacco. If you think that without the smoke, it’s less hazardous, think again. Here are facts you should keep in mind.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 36,000 Americans will develop oral cancer
➢About 6,850 of these patients are expected to die
➢Smokeless tobacco could contain up to 30 cancer-causing substances
➢75% of oral cancers are associated with tobacco
➢A can of smokeless tobacco can cause as much damage as 60 cigarettes would
➢People with long-term use of tobacco is 50% more at risk of developing oral cancer.
A lot of people probably started using smokeless tobacco because they see famous people using it- athletes use them, stars use them. You even see it on tv. For all we know, they are struggling to stop this bad habit. But nicotine is very addicting.
A survey was conducted among major league baseball players. More than 30% said they have gum problems, white patches or mouth sores. Plus nicotine slows down their performance. It may also cause you to be dizzy or impairs their alertness. Because of this, 60% of the respondents said they wanted to quit. Aside from this, smokeless tobacco causes oral problems like:
●bad breath
●tooth decay
●can cause gums to be sensitive, painful and decayed
●stained (yellow) teeth
●painful mouth sores that could be cancerous
●white patches in the mouth
●more risk of developing oral cancer
It can also damage your health by causing:
●high blood pressure
●increased heart rate
●heart attack
●cancer
●when you try to quit, you will experience withdrawal symptoms like depression, headache, nausea, fatigue among other things
If you’re a smokeless tobacco user, keep things in mind. Help yourself and do what you can to quit. Never compromise your good health. You can start by asking help from your dentist. The choices you make about your health will influence your quality of life.
