Tobacco Hurts Your Smile and Your Body, 410-696-4624, Dr. Trepp, Orthodontist

Tobacco Hurts Your Smile and Your Body

Tobacco use is widely recognized as the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United states. According to the American Dental Association, tobacco causes about 75% of cancers of the mouth, tongue, lips and throat. In January 1998, tobacco company executives acknowledged that the nicotine in tobacco is addictive and tobacco companies have targeted teens in their advertising. You can get hooked by smoking as few as four cigarettes. Once you're hooked, it is hard to give up. You miss the "buzz". Every day, 3000 American children start using tobacco. That's more than one million each year. A 1997 survey by The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, indicates that 36.4 % of high school students were regular smokers. Many people don't know that smokeless tobacco known as chew, spit, dip, pinch, snuff or plug is increasing in popularity with suburban teens. In a recent survey, 7% of our counties high school seniors admitted using chewing tobacco within the last 30 days. Older brothers and sisters have passed smokeless to little brothers and sisters as young as 6 and 7. Unfortunately, a can of smokeless can contain as much nicotine as 60 cigarettes. Bright, colorful packaging is designed to attract teens. Chewing tobacco is not safer than cigarettes or cigars. So far 28 cancer causing substances such as nitrosamines have been found in smokeless. Dipping a can a day can cost up to $1000 a year and give users, bad breath, dirty stained teeth, drooling saliva leathery white patches called leukoplakia and red sores- not a very kissable sight.

What does it do to your smile? Tobacco causes the gums to pull away from your teeth and expose tooth roots, making them sensitive to hot and cold. If the gums pull away from the teeth enough, the teeth can get loose and fall out. In the May 2000 Journal of Periodontology, researchers found that cigarette smoking may be responsible for more than half the cases of gum disease in US adults. Cigarette smokers are four times more likely to have gum disease than those who have never smoked. The more cigarettes you smoke each day, the greater the odds that you'll get gum disease. Quitting smoking does reduce some of the harmful effects of tobacco on your gums over time. To create a beautiful smile with braces, your gums and bone around your teeth need good blood flow to permit biologic tooth movement, but tobacco causes a decrease in blood flow to these areas. Your teeth pick up yellow staining and you often develop bad breath. Sugar used to flavor the smokeless increases the chances of cavities or tooth decay. Your cheeks and lips can develop sores and white, leathery, rippled patches. Cigarette smokers are also more prone to needing root canal treatment.

What does it do to your body? Smokeless increases your heart rate and blood pressure leaving you at greater risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Juice accidentally swallowed can leave you with a "sick stomach" feeling. Users often find their sense of taste and smell is diminished. Tobacco is the Number 1 risk factor for developing oral cancer. 30,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year. This kind of cancer is often fatal. 8,000 Americans die annually from oral cancer. Once you get it, there is only a 35-55% chance that you'll live five years. About 1/3 of all smokers will die of smoking related illnesses. Teenagers who use tobacco before the age of 15 are 19 times more likely to get cancer than those who don't. Finally, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute April 1999 edition, states that researchers at the University of California have found that daily smoking started before the age of 18 results in permanent lung damage that the body cannot repair even if you quit later in life. The younger the smoking starts, the more damage done. The smoking is actually damaging your genes or DNA permanently.

It's not a pretty picture. It's a turn off to friends and your health. Don't let tobacco control you! Get help kicking tobacco habits from the American Cancer Society, the Tobacco Intervention Network, the US Surgeon General, Smokefree.gov, Center For Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, American Legacy Foundation, American Lung Association and the Anne Arundel Co. Department of Health. Additionally, you can call the National Quit Line, 800-QUITNOW.

Reasons to quit:
You will feel healthier right away.
You will have more energy and better focus.
Your senses of smell and taste will be better.
You will have whiter teeth and fresher breath.
You will cough less and breathe better.
You will be healthier the rest of your life.
You will lower your risk for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, early death, cataracts, and skin wrinkling.
You will make your partner, friends, family, kids, grandchildren, and co-workers proud of you.
You will be proud of yourself.
You will need fewer root canals.
You will feel more in control of your life.
You will be a better role model for others.
You will have more money to spend.

How can your dentist help? See your dentist regularly for a screening examination to detect precancerous changes in your mouth tissues early when these changes can be more successfully treated. Remember the "Warning Signs of Oral Cancer": 1) a persistent sore or irritation that bleeds easily and does not heal, 2) color changes such as the development of red and/or white spots, 3) pain, tenderness or numbness anywhere in the mouth or lips, 4) a lump, thickening, rough spot or crusty area, 5) difficulty swallowing, chewing, speaking, or moving the jaw or tongue, 6) a change in the way your teeth fit together when you close your mouth completely.

Animated quit smoking image

[Home] [Back]

You may schedule an orthodontic appointment with Dr. William Trepp in his Pasadena, MD office by calling 410.696.4624 or in his Clinton, MD office by calling 301.868.6200. Written inquiries should be mailed to: 3020 Mountain RD, Pasadena, MD 21122, USA or 8918 Woodyard RD, Clinton, MD 20735, USA