Is Chewing Tobacco Safer Than Cigarettes?
So you have finally made the decision to quit smoking and figure you will “just chew” tobacco instead as that isn’tharmful. Well think again. Chewing tobacco is also very harmful to your health and while it might not have all of the same risks associated with it as smoking does, it comes with its own associated risks.
Mouth Cancer
It is estimated that roughly 90% of those suffering from mouth cancer are or at one time have been tobacco users. Some of the symptoms of mouth cancer are a sore that causes pain and does not go away for a long period of time, numbness in the neck and face, as well as difficulty swallowing or speaking.
Addiction
Just as with cigarette smoking, tobacco is still tobacco and is still considered highly addictive even if you are not smoking it. Tobacco contains nicotine and this is what users become addicted to. People who use chewing tobacco can eventually develop a tolerance to the nicotine and therefore can either need more of it, or a stronger variety of it in order to satisfy their need.
Cavities and Gum Disease
It is a little known fact but tobacco actually contains a high amount of sugar and therefore chewing it can cause cavities just as easily as candy or gum. In chewing tobacco there are also rough and abrasive parts that can cause damage to the enamel on our teeth as well as help contribute to gum disease. Many people who use “chew” eventually lose some of their teeth to decay.
Some find the fact that it is called “smokeless tobacco” misleading as it makes it seems less harmful than a cigarette. People need to take into account that tobacco, no matter how it is used, contains harmful ingredients that even when not inhaled to the lungs can prove to be just as deadly.
Images
Picture showing mouth cancer from chewing tobacco
Former baseball player Rick Bender is known as “the man without a face”. He started using chewing tobacco at age 12.
Some of the damage that can be caused by chewing tobacco.
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