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Oral Cancer And Smokeless Tobacco

"Dip" ... quot;Chew" ... "Pinch" ... quot;Snuff" ... "Dirt" ... "Plug" ... all are different names for smokeless tobacco, a finely ground version of processed tobacco. No matter the name, smokeless tobacco is harmful and puts your health at risk. Chew on these facts:

• About 30,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed in 1999.*
• More than 8,000 oral cancer patients will die this year.
• Tobacco products cause about 75% of oral cancers affecting the mouth, tongue, lips, throat, and parts of the nose and larynx.
• Nearly 30 cancer-causing substances have been found in smokeless tobacco.
• One can of smokeless tobacco a day delivers as much nicotine as 60 cigarettes!
• You have a 50% greater risk of developing oral cancer with long-term use of smokeless tobacco.

* Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 1999

Smokeless tobacco has been glorified over time by images of quot;macho" men performing feats of fame and prowess, whether as athletes, rodeo cowboys, or country music stars. In reality, many want to kick the habit, but nicotine is addictive. It's hard for them to quit.

In a survey of major league baseball players, more than a third reported they had mouth sores, white patches, or gum problems. Nearly 60% said they wanted to quit. The nicotine actually decreases performance, causing dizziness and slowed reaction time.

Smokeless tobacco causes problems for your oral health:

• White, leathery patches in your mouth or lips
• Painful sores that may be pre-cancerous or cancerous
• Yellow teeth and permanent tobacco-stained teeth
• Exposed tooth roots from receding gums, likely to cause decay, sensitive teeth and pain
• Cavities from the sugar added to the tobacco
• Bad breath
• Greater risk for developing oral cancer

Additionally, smokeless tobacco can affect your general health causing:

• Increased blood pressure and heart rate
• A greater risk of heart attack
• Withdrawal symptoms ranging from headaches, moodiness, and problems concentrating when you try to quit
• Cancer that can be fatal

If you use smokeless tobacco, chew all these facts over. Choose to quit. Your health is serious business. Talk to your dentist about getting help to quit. Make the right choice -- it's for your body, your health, and maybe even your life.

By Thomas Warner, DDS

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Oral Health and Early Disease Detection

Most of your dentist's patients enjoy robust health, and he or she is thankful for that. In fact, if you are faithful about your "recall" appointments (regular check-ups) he or she probably sees you more often than your physician does. That means much more to him or her than finding a small cavity, or more than a chance to catch up on your comings and goings between visits.

As your primary dental health care provider, your dentist has a singular and weighty responsibility: early detection of disease. When he or she sizes up the health of your gums, tongue, neck, jaw, the mental check-list is long, he or she looks and feels. He or she "invisibly" observes your general health, head, skin, glands, sinuses (and teeth, of course).

What is your dentist looking for? Simply put, anything wrong. Among them: dry mouth, bacterial infections, any lesions on the mucous membranes, gum color and texture, soreness or ulcerations, you get the idea. It's important for you to share with your dentist any general health problems you may have noticed or changes in medications. He or she needs the whole picture.

Practicing preventive dentistry is very important. There are more than 200 known diseases of the oral cavity. Your dentist is on the look-out for all of them. Not only can an oral problem signal local trouble, but it may indicate something systemic, something throughout your body.

For this reason, your six-month recall visit may be the most important exam you have all year. If a cavity is found, that can be fixed. If evidence of something more serious is found, then you benefit from the advantage of early detection.

Your dentist and dental hygienist want all of their patients to take these exams seriously. A cavity or canker sore, after all, is one thing. Your whole health, quite another.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.