Smoking and Oral Cancer

Quitting smoking can lead to significant improvements in various aspects of your lifestyle and well-being. When you decide to quit, you’ll experience both immediate and long-term benefits.

Personal Benefits:

• Financial savings: You will save money by not spending on cigarettes.

• Enhanced taste: Your sense of taste will return, and you’ll enjoy the flavors of food more.

• Improved breathing and fitness: Your lung capacity and overall fitness will improve.

• Better oral appearance: The skin around your mouth and teeth will show improved health.

• Increased confidence: You’ll feel more confident in social situations since you will no longer carry the smell of stale smoke.

• Enhanced fertility and pregnancy: Your fertility levels will improve, increasing the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Benefits for Others:

• Reduced exposure to second-hand smoke: Loved ones will no longer be subjected to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

• Decreased risk for children: By quitting smoking, you’ll lower the chances of your children suffering from illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks, meningitis, and ear infections.

Timeline of Benefits After Quitting:

• 20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.

• 8 hours: Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood reduce by half, and oxygen levels normalize.

• 2 days: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body, and the lungs begin to clear out mucus and smoking-related debris. Sense of taste and smell improve.

• 3 days: Breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax and energy levels increase.

• 1-3 months: Circulation improves.

• 3-9 months: Coughing, wheezing, and breathing difficulties improve as lung function increases by up to 10%.

• 5 years: Risk of heart attacks decreases by about 50% compared to a current smoker.

• 10 years: Risk of lung cancer drops to half that of a smoker, and the risk of heart attack is similar to someone who has never smoked.

As part of your program, you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire to identify the reasons you smoke and your smoking triggers. This information will help the doctor tailor your treatment specifically to address high-risk periods of relapse.

The initial consultation lasts for 30 minutes, and you’ll need to attend regular 10-minute appointments once a week to ensure the effectiveness of your treatment.