Reasons to Stop Smoking

Most of us know that smoking is indeed a habit that can have many serious implications on our health, but there's a tendency to view the problem lightly. It's important though, that every smoker be aware of the facts concerning smoking. So here are some eye openers for you. The World Health Organization has been studying smoking trends and statistical patterns across the globe and has come up with the following statistics:
A good deal of variation exists from one part of the world to another. Many more women smoke in Eastern Europe than in East Asia and the Pacific Region. Eastern Europe itself has a particularly high rate of smoking, with up to 59 percent of adult males smoking.
As with other substances of abuse, such as alcohol and cocaine, the global frequency of tobacco use varies by social class, historical era, and culture. Historically, smoking had been a pastime of the rich. This trend has changed dramatically in recent decades. It appears that economically advantaged men in wealthier countries have been smoking less. The more years of education you've had, the less likely you are to be a smoker.
As a wannabe quitter, you're in excellent company. People all over the world are trying to quit and stay away from cigarettes. There appears to be a correlation between a country's standard of living, level of education, and income and the number of people who have quit smoking. The more and better-informed people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.
Most smokers begin early in life, before they are 25 years old. According to World Health Organization studies, the majority of smokers in affluent countries begin in their teens. A decline in the age of starting smoking has been observed worldwide.
Current estimates are that over 1 billion people in the world smoke. (In other words, approximately one in three adults on the planet smokes.) The majority of these smokers reside in countries on the low end to the middle of the socioeconomic spectrum. Of this majority, about 80% live in low and middle income countries. The total number of smokers worldwide is expected to keep increasing. But are things in the USA any better? Not really, as you can see for yourself in the figures of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.
In the United States, an estimated 25.6 million men (25.2%) and 22.6 million women (20.7%) are smokers. These people are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The latest estimates for persons age 18 and older show:

• Among whites, 25.1 percent of men and 21.7 percent of women smoke
• Among black or African Americans, 27.6 percent of men and 18.0 percent of women smoke
• Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2 percent of men and 12.5 percent of women smoke
• Among Asians (only), 21.3 percent of men and 6.9 percent of women smoke
• Among American Indians/Alaska Natives (only), 32.0 percent of men and 36.9 percent of women smoke

Studies show that smoking prevalence is higher among those with 9-11 years of education (35.4 percent) compared with those with more than 16 years of education (11.6 percent). It's highest among persons living below the poverty level (33.3 percent).

And These Figures Spell Death...

• One out of every five deaths is caused by tobacco
• An average of 400,000 Americans die each year from tobacco
• Tobacco is blamed for many serious pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases
• Tobacco and nicotine are some of the most potent carcinogens and are to blame for a majority of all cancers of the lung, trachea, bronchus, larynx, and esophagus
• Tobacco use also produces cancers in the pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix
• Impotency is sometimes to blame from addiction to nicotine because of its ability to reduce blood flow
• Smoking is an important risk factor for respiratory illnesses, causing 85,000 deaths per year from pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia
• Children and adolescents who are active smokers will have increasingly severe respiratory illness, as they grow older
• Smoking during pregnancy causes about 5-6% of prenatal deaths, 17-26% of low-birth-weight births, and 7-10% of pre-term deliveries, and it increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal growth retardation
• Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of deaths from residential fires, causing nearly 1,000 fire-related deaths and 3,300 injuries each year

So, are you ready to try and quit smoking now

Retain Teeth and Lip Color

The side effects such as discoloration of the teeth and lip color caused by smoking can be changed by bringing about a few simple lifestyle changes which will enable prevention of teeth discoloration. One can also prevent the side effects of smoking by improving dental hygiene.
If discoloration of teeth appears to be of an abnormal color without a logical explanation and, if other symptoms are also present, it is advisable to see the dentist at the earliest.
Discoloration of the lip is another area that needs care and attention to regain the natural color.
Symptoms of Smoking on teeth and lips:
Apart from discoloration of the teeth and lip, smoking cigarettes or cigars can cause a number of other oral symptoms and side effects which include:

• Sticky tar deposits
• Brown tooth stains
• Red inflammation on the roof of the mouth
• Delayed healing of the gums
• Chronic bad breath
• More tooth decay than non smokers
• Smoking reduces the flow of saliva

The symptoms are gross manifestations of the biological changes occurring in the body due to continuous addiction to smoking. Here are some key reasons that could lead to teeth discoloration:

• Saliva is important for cleaning the lining of the mouth and teeth and protects teeth from decay. Smoking reduces the flow of saliva and thus handicaps its key function.
• Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums and cuts the supply of vital nutrients.
• Vitamin C helps gums to stay healthy. Smoking reduces the level of vitamin C drastically.
• Together, a reduced blood flow and diminishing vitamin C level, make treatment of gum disease in smokers a difficult proposition.
• Smoking also raises the mouth's temperature, damaging and killing important oral tissue cells.

Other causes other than smoking that lead discoloration of the teeth are:

• Several diseases that affect enamel (the hard surface of the teeth) and dentin (the underlying material under enamel) can lead to tooth discoloration.
• Treatments for certain conditions can also affect tooth color. For example, head and neck radiation and chemotherapy can cause teeth discoloration.
• Mouth rinses and washes containing chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride can also stain teeth.
• Antihistamines (like Benadryl), antipsychotic drugs, and antihypertensive medications also cause teeth discoloration.
• Excessive fluoride either from environmental sources (naturally high fluoride levels in water) or from excessive use (fluoride applications, rinses, toothpaste, and fluoride supplements taken by mouth) can cause teeth discoloration.
• Reduce intake of coffee and cigarettes

Remedies to Prevent Tooth Discoloration:
To prevent discoloration a coffee drinker and/or smoker must consider reducing intake or giving up on these addictions. One can also prevent the side effects of smoking by improving dental hygiene .This can be done by brushing and flossing regularly and getting teeth cleaned by a dentist every 6 months.
Treatment options or home remedies that can be tried at home may vary depending on the cause of the discoloration and include:

1. Using proper tooth brushing and flossing techniques
2. Avoidance of foods and beverages that cause stains on teeth.
3. Using Over-The-Counter whitening agents

Remedies to Prevent Discoloration of the Lip:
Here are simple lip care tips and home remedies for intense smokers:

• To reduce discoloration caused by smoking or caffeinated drinks the first step is to reduce the intake of such habits.
• Drink at least 10 glasses of water to flush toxins away.
• Apply Vaseline to your lips regularly.
• Clarified butter is also a very good home remedy. Apply a little every night to soothe lips. This helps keep lips moisturized.
• Another effective home remedy is applying the juice of a lemon which has bleaching properties to the lips daily. This helps lighten the colour of the lips over time.
• It is advisable for women to wear lipstick with sunscreen, as Ultra Violet radiation may cause pigmentation.
• Avoid tooth decaying foods like carbohydrates and sugar
• Doctors recommend treatments that are advisable to cure discoloration of the teeth and the most one can do on the diet front is to avoid certain tooth decaying foods. Most avoidable foods include all carbohydrates and sugar as they can cause tooth decay. All simple sugars, including table sugar (sucrose) and the sugars in honey (levulose and dextrose), fruit (fructose), and milk (lactose), have the same effect on the teeth.
• Avoid foods that will leave tooth decay. These include foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar. Sugar takes on many forms such as sucrose (table sugar), levulose and dextrose (honey), fructose (fruit), and lactose (milk).