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This month is National Children’s Dental Health Month. To celebrate this event, the Kaiserslautern American will be featuring weekly articles from the 86th Dental Squadron focusing on various aspects of oral health.
In addition, the 86th Dental Squadron will also be visiting schools and many local clubs and organizations. Below is a list of planned visits:
• Today: Sembach Elementary and Intermediate schools
• Monday to Feb. 26: Ramstein Elementary and Intermediate schools
• Thursday: Ramstein Library Story time
Quitting Tobacco: You can do it!
Rarely a day goes by without a magazine, newspaper or TV news report carrying a message about tobacco-related medical problems. Perhaps you even tune out those messages because you don’t want to quit just yet – or you think you can’t.
Tobacco is harmful to your mouth. It can cause bad breath, stained teeth, loss of teeth and jawbone, loss of taste, gum recession, oral cancer, mouth sores and
wrinkles, among other things.
Smoking impairs the body’s defense mechanisms and makes users more susceptible to infections like gum disease. Smoking also interferes with healing, a particular problem for patients who need treatment for gum disease. Once the ingredients in tobacco get into the bloodstream, they reduce the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to mouth tissues.
Chewing tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking. It can cause oral cancer and lead to addiction. The bloodstream quickly absorbs the nicotine, so chewing tobacco users have similar or even higher levels of nicotine than the smoker who uses a pack or more a day. Chewing tobacco users are more susceptible to tooth decay due to the product’s higher sugar content. And, chewing tobacco contains at least 28 known cancer-causing chemicals.
Tobacco use is difficult to stop; it takes willpower and determination. If you want to quit, get help from loved ones, friends and co-workers; ask another smoker to quit with you; or call organizations such as the Ramstein Health and Wellness Center or the American Cancer Society for support groups in your area.
