Smokeless or chewing tobacco is just as bad as smoking, sometimes even worse. Think about it. When you’re smoking, you’re inhaling smoke that simply passes by your teeth and into the lungs. In contrast, when you’re chewing tobacco, there’s much more action as you grind it against your teeth for minutes at a time. Chewing tobacco has serious consequences for your oral health as well as your entire body.
At ComfortCare Dental, our dentists strongly discourage chewing tobacco and help treat patients with tobacco-related oral conditions.
Short-Term Effects of Chewing Tobacco
Chewing tobacco causes some unique short-term effects such as bad breath, excess saliva production (drooling), receding gums, reddish-brown stained teeth, tooth decay, and patches in the mouth, to name a few. These effects can occur as soon as start this habit. Once it becomes an addiction, these short-term effects can turn into something much worse.
Fortunately, you can stop these effects from developing if you act quickly. For a routine dental exam and clean-up, we recommend visiting our dentists at ComfortCare Dental.
Long-Term Effects of Chewing Tobacco
People strongly addicted to chewing tobacco can cause more serious long-term issues that affect their overall health. These include mouth, tongue, cheek, stomach, throat, and pancreas cancer. Chewing tobacco increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Other long-term effects include tooth and bone loss.
Lastly, stained teeth can lead to psychological effects, such as low self-esteem and depression. The more tobacco you chew, the higher your risk of developing severe oral conditions.
At ComfortCare Dental, our dentists can help reverse some of the short-term and long-term effects of chewing tobacco if you act quickly. To schedule an appointment with us, call us at our Milwaukie or Oregon City offices today.
