Just in case anyone needed a refresher on the obvious....This from the Mayo Clinic website.
Here's a look at some of the health problems related to smokeless tobacco:
•Cancer. Your risk of certain types of cancer increases if you use chewing tobacco or other types of smokeless tobacco. This includes esophageal cancer and various types of oral cancer, including cancers of your mouth, throat, cheek, gums, lips and tongue. You also face increased risks related to pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer.
•Cavities. Chewing tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco cause tooth decay. That's because chewing tobacco contains high amounts of sugar, which contributes to cavities. Chewing tobacco also contains coarse particles that can irritate your gums and scratch away at the enamel on your teeth, making your teeth more vulnerable to cavities.
•Gum disease. The sugar and irritants in chewing tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco can cause your gums to pull away from your teeth in the area of your mouth where you place the chew. Over time you can develop gum disease, which can be severe enough to destroy the soft tissue and bone that support your teeth (periodontitis) and lead to tooth loss.
•Heart disease. Smokeless tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Some evidence suggests that long-term use of smokeless tobacco increases your risk of dying of certain types of heart disease and stroke.
•Precancerous mouth lesions. Smokeless tobacco increases your risk of developing small white patches called leukoplakia (loo-koh-PLAY-kee-uh) inside your mouth where the chew is most often placed. These mouth lesions are precancerous — meaning that the lesions could one day become cancer.
