To all dippers and chewers out there, whether you’re a pro player or a fan on the sidelines, we just say QUIT. Quit chewing, dipping, or smoking tobacco.
At least 75 percent of all people who get oral cancer use some form of tobacco. It doesn’t matter if it’s cigarettes, pipes, cigars or chew – the longer you’ve used tobacco products, the greater your risk.
Chewing tobacco users can experience:
Bad breath Teeth discoloration Greater risk of developing cavities
Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco can lead to higher incidences of oral cancer. A few of the other known health dangers of smokeless tobacco include:
Smokeless tobacco can irritate your gums, causing gum disease. Sugar is often added to enhance the flavor of smokeless tobacco, increasing the risk for tooth decay. Smokeless tobacco typically contains sand and grit, which can wear down teeth, causing tooth sensitivity and erosion.
Close to 42,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year and 8,000 will die of the disease, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. The disease kills roughly one person an hour, 24 hours a day. And of those 42,000 Americans, only slightly more than half will be alive in five years.
So on Opening Day- why not Quit? Leave us a comment if you’re thinking about this.