Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco

Effects of smoking and “chewing” or smokeless tobacco include  stained teeth, gum disease or gingivitis, root exposure, bone loss, and tooth decay which can develop within a year after starting.  Dental problems associated with tobacco are costly and sometimes deadly.   Every year doctors find more the 35,000 new cases of mouth and throat cancer and half of those people will die within five years.  Mouth cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat if not detected early.   Early detection may be difficult because there is rarely pain.  Your dentist will check for pathology signs such as white patches, red patches or sores in your mouth during your regular checkups.  However, if you see any of these contact your dentist without delay.  Everyone has heard of the dangers of smoking but remember smokeless tobacco contains over 3,000 chemicals, including 28 cancer casing substances and sugar and is not harmless.