Oral Cancer Screenings and Smokeless Tobacco

If you use smokeless tobacco it is vital to your health to receive regular oral cancer screenings. There are many people both young and old who believe smokeless tobacco products are safer than cigarettes. It has been proven that smokeless tobacco products are not any safer then cigarettes. The chances of getting oral cancer are roughly 400% greater for people who use smokeless tobacco products than those that don’t. The Oral Cancer Foundation states that 75% of oral cancers are tied to tobacco use. The tobacco products linked to cancer include cigarettes, pipes, cigars and smokeless tobacco. Gum disease is another oral health concern commonly found in people who use smokeless tobacco products.

Dentists like Dr. Juban now have advanced oral cancer screening tests. These tests can help detect any irregularities in your mouth and gums. With any type of cancer early detection is important. In addition to oral cancer the nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive and problematic posing numerous health risks. The American Cancer Society reports over 30,000 cases of oral cancer each year. This staggering number is directly linked to tobacco use.

A new smokeless tobacco product that dissolves in your mouth has been introduced in the marketplace. This product comes packaged in pellets similar to breath mints. This “breath-mint” tobacco pellet is made of ground tobacco, mint and cinnamon and has no tobacco odor. This product can be mistaken as candy, posing a threat to children and teens. Unfortunately, no tobacco is good tobacco, so nicotine addictions are as probable with this pellet product as cigarettes or chewing tobacco. Due to its candy like appeal, accidental nicotine poisoning is a potentially dangerous threat.

There are other dissolvable tobacco products currently being tested including tobacco sticks that look like toothpicks and tobacco strips, similar to breath freshening strips. Currently all of the new dissolvable tobacco products contain sizeable amounts of tobacco and nicotine. It is important to note that these products are just as dangerous and harmful to your health as cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. If you do smoke or use smokeless tobacco, please ask your dentist for regular oral cancer screenings to protect your health.