Tobacco

Spit tobacco affects your dental health as well as the rest of your body. If you use spit (smokeless) tobacco and have thought about quitting, your dentist can help.

Spit tobacco includes snuff, a finely ground version of processed tobacco, and chewing tobacco in the form of shredded or pressed bricks and cakes, called plugs, or rope-like strands called twists. Users "pinch" or "dip" tobacco and place a wad in their cheek or between their lower lip and gums.

It causes bad breath, discolors teeth and promotes tooth decay that leads to tooth loss. Spit tobacco users have a decreased sense of smell and taste, and they are at greater risk of developing cavities. The grit in snuff eats away at gums, exposing tooth roots, which are sensitive to hot and cold temperatures and can be painful. The sugar in spit tobacco further contributes to decay. Spit tobacco users also have a hard time getting their teeth clean.

The most common sign of possible cancer in smokeless tobacco users is leukoplakia, a white, scaly patch or lesion inside the mouth or lips, common among many spit tobacco users. Red sores are also a warning sign of cancer. Often, signs of precancerous lesions are undetectable. Dentists can diagnose and treat such cases before the condition develops into oral cancer. If a white or red sore appears and doesn't heal, see your dentist immediately for a test to see if it's precancerous. Spit tobacco users also should see their dentist every three months, to make sure a problem doesn't develop. Studies have found that 60 to 78 percent of daily users of spit tobacco have oral lesions.

Your dentist can help you kick your spit tobacco habit. In addition to cleaning teeth and treating bad breath and puffy, swollen gums associated with tobacco use, your dentist may prescribe a variety of nicotine replacement therapies, such as a transdermal nicotine patch or chewing gum. Nicotine patches are worn for 24 hours over several weeks, supplying a steady flow of nicotine. Over the course of treatment the amount of nicotine in the patch decreases. Nicotine gum is slowly chewed every one to two hours. Each piece should be discarded after 20 to 30 minutes.

• Pick a date and taper use as the date nears. Instead of using spit tobacco, carry substitutes like gum, hard candy and sunflower seeds.
• Cut back on when and where you dip and chew. Let friends and family know that you're quitting and solicit their support. If they dip and chew, ask them not to do it around you.
• Make a list of three situations in which you're most likely to dip and chew, and make every effort to avoid using tobacco at those times.
• Switch to a lower nicotine brand to help cut down your dose.