Gum Disease in Seattle: Smokeless Is Not Harmless Tobacco Chewers

Dental Health, General Dentistry, Gum Disease / July 27, 2018 by backup

Cigarette sales at most Seattle stores have decreased in the past decade, but some Seattle tobacco consumers have switched to smokeless products.

There is a common misconception in the Seattle area, especially among teens and young adults, that smokeless tobacco is harmless. This is absolutely not true. Regardless of the specific type: spit tobacco, snuff, chew, or pinch, tobacco is as deadly as conventional cigarettes.

At Advanced Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry, we encounter serious consequences of smokeless tobacco use because many occur in the mouth. Oral cancer, mouth lesions, tooth decay, and gum disease in Seattle are the most common dental problems caused by smokeless tobacco.

Keeping a pinch between your cheek and gum all day is worse than keeping hard candy tucked in there all day. The tobacco contains almost as much sugar as the candy but delivers harmful chemicals that can cause gum disease in Seattle. The dangers are two-fold: the tobacco erodes the teeth and causes the gums to pull away from your teeth.

Cancer Screening in Seattle

Smokeless tobacco not only causes gum disease in Seattle, it can also cause painful mouth lesions that could eventually become cancerous. If smokeless tobacco use is stopped, the lesions often disappear within a year for dental patients. Smokeless tobacco use in Seattle increases the risk for several types of life-threatening cancers including those of the mouth, gums, lips, tongue, and throat. Oral cancers can be as deadly as lung cancer and usually require surgery. If the patient is fortunate and the cancer is successfully removed with surgery, the collateral damage to the face, neck, or jaw is not pretty. These are the main dental risks of smokeless tobacco.

To receive more details about oral cancer and gum disease in Seattle, contact Advanced Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry in Seattle and schedule an appointment with us. If you want to quit using smokeless tobacco products, we recommend that you talk with our dentist at Advanced Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry. We also offer other dental services such as teeth whitening, full mouth reconstruction, and dental veneers.