Curious to know what is smokeless tobacco? So, there are two ways to consume tobacco- one is chewing tobacco leaves and the other is snuffing it. People chewing tobacco will take its leaves and put them in their cheek pouches and chew them. Snuffing of tobacco is done with ground tobacco leaves and the user will put it in between cheeks and gums. These are the forms of smokeless tobacco and it is no less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
Chewing tobacco is usually sold as leaf tobacco and snuff tobacco in powdered form. Snuff is commonly sold in cans nowadays. As chewing and snuffing tobacco involves the mouth and teeth, it mostly affects the oral cavity.
People having this habit of smokeless tobacco believe that smokeless tobacco is not that treacherous, but this is not true as it has several hazardous side effects and significant health risks that include various cancers and eventually death. Let’s read about the side effects of smokeless tobacco on the mouth and teeth in the given lines.
How Smokeless Tobacco Works
Chewing and snuff tobacco contains nicotine which is a highly addictive drug and it gets highly absorbed into the bloodstream from the oral cavity. This nicotine takes longer to reach to the brain, so the user does not feel its effect as fast as from the cigarette. Thus, the same amount of nicotine enters into the bloodstream from both smoking cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.
Under the effect of nicotine, the brain releases norepinephrine, an adrenaline-like compound. These are excitatory neuro-transmitter, which helps pump up the mood. Some people enjoy this feeling and thus, they develop the habit of chewing and snuffing tobacco.
When the effect of nicotine stops, the brain stops releasing these positive neurotransmitters and thus, it results in a tobacco user feeling tired, downhearted, dejected and depressed.
Dopamine, a chemical, is also released by nicotine which is released by cocaine too, another addictive drug. This chemical also induces good feelings and hence tobacco users enjoy chewing it.
Top 10 Bad Effects of Smokeless Tobacco on Mouth and Teeth
Some important bad effects of smokeless tobacco on the mouth and teeth are as follows:
1. Oral Cancer: Chewing and snuffing tobacco causes one of the most lethal forms of cancer. It mostly affects the tongue, mouth, gums, cheeks and lips. The survival rate in oral cancer is just 59%.
Some symptoms of oral cancer include
- The preliminary symptom of oral cancer is called luekoplakia
- In this condition, the sores in the mouth appear as a whitish smooth patch or wrinkled skin having a leathery appearance
- It appears generally in the place where the user places a wad of tobacco. When these sores are left untreated, they might lead to cancer
- Other symptoms of oral cancer include a lump or sore in the lip, mouth or throat that does not heal, bleeding numbness or pain in the mouth, a red patch on tongue, mouth lining or on the gums
2. Throat Cancers: The contents in tobacco increases the person’s risk of cancer-related to the larynx, pharynx and esophagus.
3. Swallowing Difficulty: A person in the habit of consuming tobacco can experience chewing or swallowing difficulty.
4.Change in voice: Smokeless tobacco can cause change in voice, voice hoarseness and pain in ears.
5. Heart diseases: Chewing tobacco also leads to cardiovascular diseases.
6. Abrasion in teeth: Abrasion in teeth is caused due to sand and grit present in smokeless tobacco. It scratches teeth and remove the enamel, the outer covering and leads to many issues related to teeth like sensitivity, bleeding from gums etc.
7. Tooth decay: Smokeless tobacco contains sugar when used during its processing and curing period to improve the taste. When the gums pull away from the teeth, food particles get trapped in the open pockets and thus, causes tooth decay.
8. Gum Recession: Gum recedes in the spot where the user places a small wad of chewing tobacco. It causes the gums to pull away from the teeth which expose the tooth and leads to sensitivity towards cold and hot foods.
9. Bad breath and tooth discoloration: Teeth get discolored among the people who stop using snuff.
10. Malign eating habits: When a person chews tobacco, it reduces the sense of taste in them and they also lose smell sensitivity. Thus, a person with a smokeless tobacco habit tends to eat more sweets and salty food which again leads to other tissues in the body.
These are some of the vital bad effects of smokeless tobacco on the mouth and teeth. The best thing to avoid these health issues is to quit the habit of chewing and snuffing tobacco as it can remarkably reduce the risk of cancer.
