Everyone knows that tobacco usage is harmful to overall health. Be it smoking or chewing tobacco, there are millions of people who have this habit, not to mention the increasing numbers of teens and children who are becoming addicted to tobacco. Markets are flooded with tobacco products which have flavours that entice school children.
It is not just overall health that gets affected due to tobacco use – it also affects the general health of a person significantly. People normally do not give too much importance to oral health – most of the dental problems are ignored and are rarely treated when symptoms appear. It is important that awareness of how tobacco use affects oral health be understood and proper care be taken to maintain oral health. Children and adults both need to be aware of this.
Health Impact of Tobacco use
Bad Breath
Using tobacco, be it chewing or smoking, causes bad breath. When a person chews tobacco or smokes, nicotine content of the tobacco affects the content of saliva in the mouth. The flow of saliva reduces in the mouth and the nicotine residue remains in the mouth and causes bad breath. This also brings about a condition of dry mouth, which can lead to other dental problems.
Stained teeth and tongue
Effects of tobacco are mainly caused due to tar and nicotine in it. Nicotine is colourless, but when it comes in contact with oxygen, it creates yellowish colour in the teeth. It also gets deposited in the tongue. When tobacco is consumed in various forms constantly, it gets absorbed in the pores of the teeth. It settles in the pores and discolours the teeth. These deposits affect sense of taste and smell as well.
Gum disease
Use of tobacco is considered as one of the major reasons for gum disease. In this, infection is found on the gums and it has even been known to affect the basic gum structure that supports the jaw. When a person has a habit of using tobacco, it affects the immune system and as a result of it, the body is not able to fight diseases. It loses its ability and diseases such as those affecting the gums are initiated with ease.
Oral cancer
Tobacco is one of the major cause of oral cancer, it also poses a major threat to the health of a person. Besides causing cancer, tobacco has been the known cause of other diseases affecting lungs, mouth, stomach etc. In most of them, it aids in developing cancerous cells in the human body.
Delayed/poor healing after surgery
Studies have shown that if a person uses tobacco – be it smoking or chewing it – wound healing is one of the areas that get affected. Absorbing tobacco into the body affects the innate body’s ability to recover. The cells and organs get weakened and so does the immune system. The ability to repair after surgery takes a longer time. When wounds take a longer time to heal, there is a possibility of them getting infected and developing other secondary disease conditions.
Tooth decay
Tobacco does not only damage teeth, it destroys teeth. When a person continuously smokes or chews tobacco – the immune system of the person gets affected. The ability to fight infection decreases and this aids in the development of plaque and tartar in the mouth and eventually lead to tooth decay and tooth loss. Sugar is one of the ingredients used in chewing tobacco. Bacteria feed on these sugars and speeds up tooth decay.
Why quit tobacco usage?
While it is important that everyone understands the damages caused by tobacco – it is also important that steps are taken to put an end to this habit. Parents should understand this and pass on the information to their children so that they can get rid of this unhealthy practice.
Tobacco use by pregnant women also causes birth defects in their children. Tobacco use does not affect just the person, his/her family also are affected. Absorbing tobacco in the case of second hand smoke has known to cause breathing problems in the family members.
Tobacco use is of the most common preventable cause of death. Tobacco use aids in cancer growth in different parts of the body. Half of the deaths related to cancer can be attributed to tobacco use. Studies show that the chances of developing secondary cancer are increased by about 37% in people who use tobacco.
It is important that people understand the urgency of quitting tobacco usage. Even reducing the amount of tobacco use has found tremendous benefits to the health of a person. The benefits of not using tobacco are manifold.
- Blood circulation in the body increases after quitting,
- The sense of taste and smell returns when tobacco usage is stopped
- Breathing becomes easier and there is reduced cough and other lung related diseases.
- The risk of developing cancer is greatly reduced
- The Overall health of the person improves
- Improved immune system of the body, ability to fight diseases increases
- Quick recovery from diseases
While most people know and understand the ill effects of tobacco usage, they are unable to quit the habit. The habit is highly addictive – nicotine, the drug that is contained in tobacco is the main culprit. It gives the person a sense of ‘feeling good’ and ‘gets them all pumped up’. This feeling goes off when tobacco use is stopped. So, the person continues smoking craving for that feel good factor.
There are side effects as well, once this effect wears off – the user feels tired and drained of energy. They start thinking that to get more energy – to get it going – they need to use tobacco – chew or smoke tobacco. That is why it is found that people are not able to quit the habit. You can consult a dentist to help you with the problem. They are drugs available that will help you to calm the nicotine cravings. There are also gums/patches available that help you in your attempt to quitting tobacco.