Quit Smoking for Your Mouth’s Sake

You know you should quit smoking. But you haven’t gotten around to it yet. Add oral health to the list of reasons to commit to quitting.

• You’ll lower your risk for oral cancer—cancer of the tongue, mouth, and gums. These cancers are responsible for approximately 12,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.^1,2,3,4 Smokeless tobacco like snuff, dip, or chewing tobacco increases your risk for developing oral cancer by four to six times.⁴ Smoking also adds to your risk.²

• You’re less likely to develop periodontal (gum) disease.⁴ Smoking reduces blood flow and nutrients to the gums, which can lead to gum disease and bone loss—and eventually lost teeth.⁴

• Your smile will be brighter. With every puff, nicotine and tar coat and stain your teeth.^3,4

• Food will taste better. Smoking takes a lot of the pleasure from eating by interfering with your senses of taste and smell. It also can cause bad breath.³

Quitting smoking may be the most difficult, but also the most rewarding, thing you ever do.

¹ “Oral Cancer.” National Institutes of Health. July 2007. http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/OralCancer.pdf Accessed 2010.

² “Oral Health.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. Updated September 23, 2008. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/oral-health.pdf Accessed 2010.

^{3 “}Bad Breath (Halitosis): Frequently Asked Questions.” American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/2941.aspx Accessed 2010.

⁴ “Can Tobacco Products Harm My Mouth?” Academy of General of Dentistry. www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=c&iid=335&aid=3815 Accessed 2010.