If you use tobacco, you are at risk of developing periodontitis, which can result in loosening or even loss of your teeth. Signs of periodontitis include red swollen gums (gingivae) that bleed, gums that seem to have pulled away from your teeth, constant bad breath or pus between your teeth and gums. You also are at risk of developing oral cancer.
WHAT IF I NEED MORE HELP?
Some people benefit from counseling when trying to stop using tobacco. One resource is1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669). The National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., also has counselors available who can answer questions about quitting (1-877-44U-QUIT [1-877- 448-7848]). If you are more comfortable talking with someone in person, you can seek counseling from your dentist or physician or from a trained tobacco-use treatment specialist. Although any one of these approaches can be helpful, studies suggest that people who combine counseling with medication or nicotine replacement therapy have an easier time giving up tobacco. However you do it, give tobacco the boot. Quitting will greatly reduce your risk of developing tobacco-related diseases—such as oral cancer—as well as an early death brought on by tobacco use.
RESOURCES:
Smokeless Tobacco: A Guide for Quitting
This booklet is designed specifically for young men who have decided to quit using smokeless tobacco or who are thinking about quitting. It includes reasons to quit, addresses myths about smokeless tobacco, and helps the reader develop a plan for quitting.
Take a Close Look at What the Tobacco Industry Won't Show You:
A poster with an attention-getting picture of a fatal oral cancer.
Give tobacco the boot
Access an ADA factsheet about smoking here....
