“Doc, how long will this new hip last?” “Well, that depends.” “Oh. On what?” “On the temperature around your hip, for starters. If it changes rapidly from hot to cold and back again over a period of time, there’s a strong chance it could become infected. Then there’s the issue of toxicity.” “Toxicity?!” “Yes. There’s a chance that the material we plan to put inside you could be poisonous. Oh, and if you get this procedure, it’s a sure bet you’ll have to do it again and we’ll need to be more invasive next time around.” “What???” “Yes, so that’s about it. What do you think? Are you ready to go?”

With those potential complications, who in their right mind would undergo that surgery? Likewise, why would any Quincy dentist replace a cavity with an amalgam filling when ceramics are more durable, much less prone to bacteria and aesthetically superior in every way.

Hmmmm … tough call, isn’t it?

While this Quincy dentist admittedly doesn’t wear a pager (and I don’t see any patients on stretchers), our office does offer 24-hour support for those who need it. Why? When was the last time you had a really bad toothache? In that moment, your top priority was pain relief. A close second was a permanent resolution of the problem. At our Boston dental practice, we provide both, fast.

So rest easy, knowing that if you start to feel that throbbing, pulsing ache inside your mouth, you can pick up the phone and get the situation resolved as quickly as possible.

“I chewed tobacco because it seemed to be the thing to do if you were playing baseball,” says Garagiola. “Everybody chewed when I was playing, and nobody knew the dangers of it.” But he’s seen the dangers since, losing three close friends to oral cancer and seeing the harmful effects of spit tobacco on other people.
“You won’t die of gum disease or yellow teeth, but develop oral cancer and it’s a terrible way to go,” Garagiola says. “Here you are with oral cancer from using spit tobacco, your jaw has been removed and you have to eat through a tube. You die one piece at a time. Spit tobacco is a horrible, horrible thing. I just wish I could get this message across to everyone.”

If you’re using smokeless tobacco, quit. Now that you know the dangers associated with it, you have extra motivation to give it up. Here’s what to do:

 Set a quit date. Mark your quit day on your calendar and commit to it. Select a day at least one week away so that you have time to prepare for your life as a former tobacco user.

 Talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor about your goal to quit using smokeless tobacco and ask for advice. Smokeless tobacco users have more success with quitting if they talk to a doctor or dentist about strategies for quitting.

 Get support. Join a support group in your area. Go online. Get help and support from people who understand what you’re going through. Free resources are available, so don’t worry about a financial cost.
Devise a plan to deal with cravings and know that cravings typically last only a few minutes. Eating licorice, chewing gum, going for a walk or calling a friend can help you get through them. And the interval between cravings increases the longer you’ve stopped using tobacco and eventually the cravings will go away.

We are happy to support anyone who is striving to quit and improve their lives and health.  We are happy to see anyone in need of dental work, please visit our site and fill out the form for a free complimentary consultation.

Many of these may seem harmless, tooth decay, gum disease, addiction, etc.  As adults, we need to inform our children of dangers and warn them of the potential risks associated with practices that they may seem to think is “in.”  More and more teenagers are using chewing tobacco over smoking, because it is less obvious – some even use it in school. 

Today, we would like to outline the most important and dangerous health risk associated with chewing tobacco, and that is oral cancer.  Your risk of oral cancer is increased if you use smokeless tobacco. Oral cancer includes cancers of the mouth, throat, cheek, gums, lips and tongue. Surgery to remove cancer from any of these areas can leave your jaw, chin, neck or face disfigured.

Please tune in tomorrow for an interesting bit of advice from a former baseball player who was a heavy user of chewing tobacco.

Smokeless tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Some evidence suggests that it may put you at an increased risk of heart attack. People who use smokeless tobacco also have higher cholesterol levels than those who don’t use tobacco. And a study published in June 2007 in the medical journal The Lancet showed a connection between the use of one form of smokeless tobacco (snus) and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

In addition, people who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to develop small white patches called leukoplakia inside their mouths where the chew is most often placed. These mouth lesions are precancerous — meaning that the sores could one day develop into cancer. After stopping tobacco usage, the lesions usually go away in a few weeks or a few months.

Visit our site at www.drmatarazzo.com for other health risks.

Chewing tobacco gets you hooked on nicotine, similar to the way cigarettes do. And once you’re addicted, it becomes difficult to stop using chewing tobacco. Just as with smoking, withdrawal from chewing tobacco causes signs and symptoms such as intense cravings, increased appetite, irritability and depressed mood.

People who use chewing tobacco eventually develop a tolerance for nicotine and need more tobacco to feel the desired effects of the nicotine. Some people switch to brands with higher nicotine content and tend to use chewing tobacco more frequently the longer they’ve been using smokeless products. More severely addicted users may leave the chew in their mouths overnight and swallow the tobacco juices.

Tune in tomorrow for another health risk associated with chewing tobacco.  Visit our site at www.drmatarazzo.com
 

We mentioned on Friday that this week we would spend some time discussing all of the dangers and health risks associated with chewing tobacco, as it seems that sadly many people seem to think that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking since the nicotine and smoke does not enter the lungs.  Over the next few days, we will outline the dangers of chewing tobacco for all those needing incentive to overcome this harmful habit.

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. 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 (gingivitis) and possibly tooth loss.

Visit our site for a complimentary consultation.

Chewing tobacco. This type of smokeless tobacco comes in loose leaf, plugs or twists. As the name suggests, it’s chewed.

Snuff. This product is available dry or moist, in loose leaf or in pouches that look like small tea bags. A pinch of snuff may be placed between the cheek and the gum or inhaled into the nostrils.

Betel quid. A product of India, Africa and Asia, betel quid is produced commercially or made at home. It consists of a dried paste that often includes tobacco, areca nuts, catechu, and scent or flavoring. Catechu is a plant-based product used to treat diarrhea and sometimes used for birth control in some parts of the world. Areca nuts are a plant-based product often used as a recreational drug. Betel is placed in the mouth, usually between the gum and cheek, and gently sucked and chewed.

Though the concept of chewing tobacco might conjure up images of a messy brown liquid spit out on the ball field, not all smokeless tobacco needs to be spit out during use. Tobacco companies have developed a friendlier version of chewing tobacco — a spitless tobacco — in an effort to convince more smokers to consider using smokeless products in places where smoking is prohibited.   However, this does not minimize the risk. 

Here at Dr. Matarazzo’s office, we are concerned with the problems that these products can have on your teeth.  Next week, we will discuss some of the health risks associated with chewing tobacco, since many seem to think that these dangers don’t exist.  Visit our site at www.drmatarazzo.com for more information.

The effects of smoking are that people who smoke a lot will certainly lose their teeth. Moreover, smoking initiates gums diseases. These gum diseases manifest swelling on the gum areas that finally lessen the strong teeth formation. It is in this stage that loss of tooth occurs.  Well some people argue that there is no relationship between the smoking and loss of teeth or gum problems. They further insist that actually inborn or innate in their genetic structure are responsible for these kind of dental problems. But their argument is totally wrong.  It has been already proved by the studies that smoking can cause dental problems. Many dental problems, especially gum problems are caused due to smoking. This is because smoking triggers the accumulation of bacteria in plaque.  Actually the gluey white material that builds up on our teeth whenever we don’t brush our teeth is the plaque, is already a major factor in dental problems. Moreover like a double jeopardy, the smoking helps in bacteria formation in plaque. So when bacteria already thrive within the gum area, which will lead to inflamed gum.  Moreover, this will have an effect on jaw, thereby, speeding up the loss of the teeth. If not, it will soon be extracted because it at this stage that the teeth will progressively get worse. The gum diseases are silent killers of your teeth.

Bottom line?  As if there weren’t enough reasons to consider smoking, tooth loss and gum disease is another reason that can be added to the list.  Here at Dr. Matarazzo’s office in Quincy, MA, we are happy to assist people in restoring their mouth.  Visit us for a complimentary consultation.

Oral cancer is part of a group of cancers called head and neck cancers. Oral cancer can develop in any part of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Most oral cancers begin in the tongue and in the floor of the mouth. Almost all oral cancers begin in the flat cells that cover the surfaces of the mouth, tongue, and lips. These cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. When oral cancer spreads (metastasizes), it usually travels through the lymphatic system. Cancer cells that enter the lymphatic system are carried along by lymph, a clear, watery fluid. The cancer cells often appear first in nearby lymph nodes in the neck. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the neck, the lungs, and other parts of the body. When this happens, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells as the primary tumor. For example, if oral cancer spreads to the lungs, the cancer cells in the lungs are actually oral cancer cells. The disease is metastatic oral cancer, not lung cancer. It is treated as oral cancer, not lung cancer.
 
What are some of the causes of oral cancer?  Here are a few of the most common culprits:

Tobacco use (cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco) is responsible for most cases of oral cancer.

Alcohol, particularly beer and hard liquor, are associated with an increased risk of developing oral cancer. The risk of developing oral cancer is higher in people who use both tobacco and alcohol. Avoiding or stopping the use of tobacco decreases the risk of oral cancer. It is not known if stopping the use of alcohol decreases the risk of oral cancer.

Sun exposure: Exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of lip cancer, which occurs most often on the lower lip. Avoiding the sun and/or using a sunscreen or colored lipstick on the lips may decrease the risk of lip cancer.

This helpful information is provided by Dr. Matarazzo at www.drmatarazzo.com