World No Tobacco Day is May 31- Tobacco’s Effects on Dental Health
FLOWER MOUND AND GRAPEVINE, TEXAS – It is estimated that more than 1.22 billion people worldwide smoke. While it is a known fact that smoking poses a serious threat on your health, few realize the effect it has on your oral health.
The World Health Organization is sponsoring World No Tobacco Day on May 31 and the theme for this year focuses on tobacco industry interference. The campaign aims to expose and counter the tobacco industry’s brazen and increasingly aggressive attempts to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control because of the serious danger they pose on public health.
The oral cavity is the first place the body comes into contact with the toxic smoke. While the smoke is only in direct contact with the mouth for a short amount of time, it has devastating effects.
The hazards of smoking can wreak havoc on your teeth and cause tooth discoloration, smoker’s breath, dry mouth and tooth decay. Smoking can also reduce the success rates of dental surgery and dental implants. The most alarming effects of smoking are the increased risk of developing gum disease or oral cancer.
“Other tobacco products are just as harmful to your dental health”, said Dr. Jonathan Golab, a Grapevine and Flower Mound Invisalign provider. “Smokeless tobacco products are worse than cigarettes because your mouth is in constant contact with the 28 cancer-causing chemicals. This can lead to gum recession, tooth loss and cancer of the mouth, lips, tongue and esophagus”.
It has been shown that tobacco use may be one of the most significant risk factors in the development and progression of periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. As the disease progresses, surgery may be required, but the chemicals in tobacco can slow down the healing process and make the treatment results less predictable.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, 90 percent of patients with oral cancer are smokers. Symptoms of oral cancer include a sore in the mouth that will not heal, pain, tenderness or numbness anywhere in the mouth, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or a change in the way teeth fit together.
This cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer, yet every day, every hour, one American dies of oral cancer, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation and the flower mound porcelain veneers specialist. This is a cancer that progresses quickly if left undiagnosed, which is why it is important for smokers to be screened yearly.
“I know quitting tobacco is easier said than done, but why put your body and mouth at such a high risk of damage that could result in death?” said the tooth whitening professional. “Smokers should brush and floss daily and visit the dentist regularly so they can keep watch on anything that appears suspicious”.
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