Jan 25 2012
Chewing Tobacco Can Also Cause Oral Cancer
Most people realize by now that smoking is not only bad for your heart and lung but also can cause issues with your teeth and mouth. Bit did you know that smokeless tobacco, also called spit tobacco, chewing tobacco, chew and few other names, can also lead to oral cancer?
What is Tobacco?
Whether its snuff or chewing tobacco, the normal way to use it is to let it sit in your mouth and suck on the tobacco juices, spitting often to get rid of the saliva that builds up. This sucking and chewing allows nicotine, to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the tissues in your mouth.
Smokeless tobacco has been around for centuries. In fact, Native people of North and South America chewed tobacco. This bad habit was a trademark of American baseball players and viewed as safe to use.
By the 1950s, chewing tobacco had fallen out of favor in most of America, so by that time not too many baseball players were spitting big brown gobs all over the infield. Instead of chewing their tobacco, most people were smoking it. Today, professional athletes do not use tobacco and instead chew gum.
How Tobacco Harms You
Most people who stop smoking will turn to using tobacco thinking it will do them no harm. The truth is using tobacco can harm your mouth, including your teeth and gums, in many ways. There is no safe form of tobacco—using it produces many problems and risk factors, from tooth discoloration and gum disease to throat, lung, and oral cancer, and even death. Any form of tobacco, whether you smoke it or chew it will have negative effects on your overall health.
Every year, 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer, which accounts for roughly 7,500 deaths each year. Wayzata Dental & Smile Spa, a Minnetonka family dentistry, offers an oral cancer screening. Make an appointment with us today.