Chewing Tobacco
Spit It Out!
Chewing Tobacco
Using chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products can cause serious health problems from gum irritation to oral cancer. Just because your friends use chewing tobacco doesn't mean you have to. Once you have used it for a long time, you will get cancer in your mouth which is not a pretty sight. You can also get hairy tongue. Hairy tongue is where the filiform papillae elongates with black or brown discoloration, giving the tongue a black and hairy appearance.
Addiction
Chewing tobacco gets you hooked on nicotine. Once you're addicted, it becomes difficult to stop using chewing tobacco. Withdrawal from chewing tobacco causes signs and symptoms such as intense cravings, increased appetite, irritability and depressed moods. If you start using chewing tobacco, chances are you won't stop unless you are restricted to put it in your mouth again. But if you use it for a while then all of a sudden decide to quit, you will be in misery and your body will want the chewing tobacco because it is addicted to the nicotine in the chewing tobacco.
Cavities
Chewing tobacco causes tooth decay. That's because chewing tobacco contains high amounts of sugar, which contributes to cavities. Chewing tobacco is also filled with coarse particles that can irritate your gums and scratch away the enamel on your teeth, making your teeth able to get cavities.
Gum Disease
The sugar and irritants in chewing tobacco can cause your gums to pull away from your teeth in the area of your mouth where you hold the tobacco. Over time you can develop gingivitis and possibly tooth loss.
Heart Problems
Chewing tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Therefore, chewing tobacco may put you at an increased risk of heart attack. People who use chewing tobacco also have higher cholesterol levels than those of people who don't use tobacco products.
Precancerous mouth sores
people who use chewing tobacco are more likely to develop small white patches where they place the tobacco in their mouths. The white patches are called leukoplakia. These mouth sores are considered precancerous. Since these sores are precancerous, they could one day develop into cancer. Getting cancer in your mouth is very bad. It is bad for your oral hygiene, your teeth, and even harmful to your gums, especially.
Oral Cancer
Your risk of oral cancer is increased if you use chewing tobacco. Oral cancer includes cancers of the mouth, throat, cheek, gums, lips and tongue. Surgery to remove cancer from any of these areas can leave your jaw, chin, neck and face disfigured.
Nasty Habit
Lastly, chewing tobacco is a nasty habit. It gives you bad breath, it does horrible things to your mouth, and if you use it for too long then you will get cancer which will lead to surgery which will soon after lead to a disfigured face. It also gives you permanent tooth discoloration, precancerous sores, or leukoplakia, and painful ulcers. It also gives you red sores, receding gums, tooth loss, and finally mouth cancer.