TOBACCO USE COUNSELING

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Tobacco use counseling has become an important component of preventive dental care. If you are addicted to cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco or any other form of tobacco, you can obtain meaningful assistance through tobacco use counseling. This unique approach to preventive dental care has helped countless individuals quit smoking and enjoy improved oral health.

WHY TOBACCO ADDICTS SHOULD GIVE TOBACCO USE COUNSELING A CHANCE

Tobacco use is terrible for oral health and the well-being of the entire body. Tobacco use is the cause for numerous oral health problems. A cigarette smoker is at risk for oral cancer, periodontal disease, stained teeth, impaired healing and gingival recession.

Even the use of smokeless tobacco puts one at a heightened risk for oral cancer, gingival keratosis, enamel erosion, oral mucosal lesions, tooth loss, alveolar bone damage and coronal/root surface dental caries. These potentially disastrous oral health problems can be avoided with tobacco use counseling and a subsequent cessation of tobacco use.

THE BASICS OF TOBACCO USE COUNSELING

The days of shaming tobacco users or providing them with a "quit line" for support are long over. Nowadays, oral health professionals help tobacco users enjoy preventive dental care through tobacco use counseling. This non-judgmental counseling proves successful in persuading patients who use tobacco to reduce their use or completely quit. There is a dramatic reduction in risk to oral health when a patient ceases the use of tobacco.

Anyone struggling with an addiction to tobacco needs to consider this preventive dental care program. The program provides the patient with helpful information, insight and strategies that ultimately help the patient wean off of tobacco and live a healthier life. Tobacco use counseling involves questions and answers along with a helpful dialogue between the oral health professional and the patient. The tobacco user answers questions about his or her smoking habits, the frequency of use and preference for tobacco type. The patient will then receive information about the possible effects of tobacco on oral health.

The counselor assesses the patient to gauge his or her interest in quitting tobacco use. Patients who are willing to attempt to reduce tobacco use or quit are provided with in-depth assistance. The counselor offers helpful suggestions that assist the patient in his or her quest to reduce the temptation to smoke or use smokeless tobacco. Furthermore, this counseling helps the patient throw away tobacco products for good. Even something as simple as moving an ashtray out of plain view can help reduce the urge to smoke.