What you need to know about tobacco use
Tobacco is deadly. There is no other way to say it. Tobacco destroys the health of your body and your mouth. There has been a decline 
in the amount of people who use tobacco, however, 1 in 5 people still smoke. Dr. Richard Mark, in Independence, Missouri, wants you to know all about tobacco use and why you need to avoid it.
Tobacco use directly causes or contributes to:
- 9 out of 10 lung cancers
- 8 out of 10 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cancer of the stomach, pancreas, kidney and bladder
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
Smoking doesn’t just affect you. Secondhand smoke, the smoke that others around you breathe, directly causes or contributes to:
- Babies dying from SIDS
- Bronchitis and pneumonia
- Heart disease
- Lung cancer
It isn’t just smoking that is deadly. Smokeless tobacco, or chew, also directly causes or contributes to oral cancer and esophageal cancer. Smokeless tobacco is also a prominent risk factor for periodontal disease and tooth loss.
If these facts aren’t enough to scare you, according to the American Dental Association, nearly 42,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with throat and oral cancer this year.
Dr. Mark wants to stress how important it is to stop using tobacco, and to visit your physician regularly to evaluate your overall health. In addition, when you visit Dr. Mark, he will do a comprehensive oral cancer evaluation to determine the health of your mouth. Early diagnosis is essential for oral cancer treatment because the five-year survival rate is only 64 percent!
When Dr. Mark does an oral cancer screening, he will examine the roof and floor of your mouth, underneath your tongue, all borders of your tongue, and check the lymph nodes in your neck for swelling. He will be looking for abnormalities in the color and texture of your tissue or any sores, lumps or irritated areas.
If you use tobacco you need to start reducing your usage with a goal of quitting entirely. It’s difficult, but you deserve to live a long and healthy life, away from tobacco. If you have additional questions about reasons to avoid tobacco, call Dr. Richard Mark, in Independence, Missouri. He is there to help you get healthy, so call today!