 Smoking
and Your Oral Health
From the second a puff of smoke from a cigarette enters your mouth,
you put your body at risk. The first to be affected are your lips,
tongue, inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth and your throat.
Your risk of oral cancer and other smoking related problems increases
with every cigarette you smoke, the days you smoke and the number
of years of a smoking habit.
Other conditions include heart disease,
high blood pressure, lung cancer and other cancers. It makes your
skin wrinkle making you look older and affects your sense of taste
and smell.
Oral Side Effects of Tobacco Use
- Tooth staining (tar deposit or smoke stain)
- Red and sore palate (roof of the mouth)
- Gums that do not heal
- Gum recession (especially with chewing tobacco
- Bad breath
- Sores that do not heal (some are hidden from view)
- Cancer
- Black hairy tongue (oral hairy leukoplakia)
"I want to quit but I can't!"
 Quitting
smoking might be one of the hardest things you will ever do. But
you need to remember one important fact: If you quit early enough,
the risk of developing oral cancer drops rapidly.
Yes you will have withdrawal symptoms but there are ways to try
to overcome or deal with them. Used in combination with counselling
or support groups, they can be very successful.
You can get help and advice from your medical
or dental professionals or their associations as well as local
community centres, health clinics and heart
and lung associations.
Detect Problems Early
If detected early you can have a fighting chance against oral cancer.
The best way is to have regular checkups with your dental
hygienist and dentist. Let them know you are a smoker in your
health questionnaire. This will help them assess your oral condition.
Know what to look for and when
to seek help.
Back to the
previous page
|
