Mouth Sores From Chewing Tobacco

Mouth sores from chewing tobacco

Chewing tobacco is a type of smoking. Generally, there are two forms of smokeless tobacco that include; chewing tobacco and snuff. Often chewing tobacco also known as “chaw” is sold in form of leaf tobacco which are packed in a pouch. It’s placed between the gum and cheek thus consumers of the product keep chewing it in their mouths for long hours.

With the continuous chewing of the product, a certain acid is formed from the too much sugar that is added in the chewing tobacco during the processing and curing of the product. This acid may eat away your tooth enamel and in-turn causing cavities and mouth sores. The worst thing with chewing tobacco is that, once you start using the product, the next time you’ll use it, the body will want a little more of the product to get or reach the same feeling thus leading to an addiction; basically, holding an average-sized chew in your mouth for approximately 30-minutes gives the consumer the same level of nicotine as smoking four sticks of cigarettes.

Ingredients of chewing tobacco (smokeless tobacco)

Nicotine; addictive drug

Nitrosamines-cancer causing agent

Arsenic; Poisonous metallic element

Polonium 210; nuclear waste

Formaldehyde; embalming fluid

Lead; Nerve poison

Cyanide; poisonous compound

Benzene; often used in motor fuels and insecticides

Cadmium; used in batteries as well as nuclear reactor shields

If you closely look at the above listed ingredients used to make smokeless tobacco, all of them seem poisonous, addictive and dangerous for human consumption or use. Therefore, you can imagine what these chemical can do to your mouth and teeth as a whole.

Side-effects of chewing tobacco

Continues chewing of tobacco can permanently discolor your teeth, causes bad breath in your mouth (halitosis) and may also contribute to tooth-lose. Manufacturers of Smokeless tobacco often add sugar during the processing and curing to improve the product’s taste; hence, too much of sugar forms an acid which may eat away your tooth enamel and in-turn causing cavities as well as mouth sores.

In addition, these mouth sores, also known as Leokoplakia are caused by the irritation that comes from the tobacco juice (an acid). These sores can also develop inside your cheeks, on the tongue, on the gums and are in form of white spots. This disorder may be considered pre-cancerous. If it happens that these white patches fail to heal within one week after their occurrence, it is advisable to consult your doctor for immediate check-up and medication.

Other side-effects of chewing tobacco includes; causes heart disease, oral cancer, unhealthy eating habit, tooth abrasion, increased tooth decay and gum recession.