Tobacco use impacts your entire body, and your oral health is not immune to those effects. It can lead to a variety of issues, ranging from cosmetic to very serious health dangers. Let’s learn about some of the effects of tobacco use on your oral health and ways you can protect yourself.

Oral cancer
It is estimated that ninety percent of people diagnosed with oral cancer have used tobacco products. In fact, oral cancer risks are six times higher for smokers over non-smokers. Oral cancer can affect your lips, throat, tongue, and mouth. Your personal risk of oral cancer is related to how long you have used tobacco. The longer you use tobacco, the higher your cancer risk gets.

Gum disease
Cigarette smoking is linked to gum disease, which begins as inflammation and bleeding of the gums. As gum disease progresses, the bone supporting your tooth roots gets inflamed also and can cause the bone to deteriorate. Without treatment, gum disease leads to lost teeth and damage to the jawbone.

Kinds of tobacco
It is a myth that some forms of tobacco are safer than others. Regular exposure to any kind of tobacco has health risks. For example, pipe smokers usually don’t smoke very often but they can get cancer of the lips from holding the pipe in the same place on the lip each time. Also, people who use chewing (or smokeless) tobacco are at four to six times more risk of oral cancer than non-tobacco users.

Ways to protect oral health

Follow these rules to promote good oral health:
• Stop smoking. Quitting will significantly lower your risk of oral health problems, and the longer you remain a non-smoker, the lower your risk gets.
• Have regular dental checkups. Early detection and treatment of cancer can improve your prognosis.
• Practice good dental hygiene.