Sweet smell disguises pipe smoke dangers

My husband has taken up pipe smoking. I’m generally opposed to all forms of tobacco use, but my dad smoked a pipe, and the smell of well-chosen pipe tobacco brings back all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings. Besides, when Jeffry chooses a chocolate blend, the lingering smell on his mustache makes me feel like I’m kissing a chocolate bar.

Nonetheless, I am not happy about any habit a loved one has that increases his risk of cancer, even a little. He smokes only one pipe a day, but still. I made him promise that he will go see his dentist every six months, like clockwork. He has a great assistant, so I’ll have her make the appointment. This year, 30,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the mouth and pharynx (the cavity behind the nose and mouth that connects them to the esophagus), and I don’t want him to be one.

Tobacco use can be blamed for most oral cancers. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco and snuff are all culprits when it comes to oral cancer. Heavy users, who smoke or chew for a long time, are most at risk.

Alcohol is also a risk factor, and here I don’t have to worry, because just sniffing the wine cork will put Jeffry to sleep. The risk for oral cancer is even higher in people who smoke and drink heavily. Even in nonsmokers, alcohol use increases the risk of getting oral cancer. And like with tobacco, the more a person drinks, the more at risk he or she is.

The combination of the two can be deadly. Smokers who drink have fifteen times the risk of getting oral cancer than those who do neither.

Sun lovers beware: Exposure to too much sun can cause cancer of the lip, just like it can cause cancer on other exposed skin surfaces. And guess what: The sun lover who smokes. … You guessed it. More risk.

Most oral cancers are located on the tongue and the floor of the mouth. Dentists are trained to look for the changes that might indicate a precancerous or cancerous growth.

All of us who want to keep our own teeth into our dotage should be visiting our dentist at least once a year. But in between, there are signs to look for that could indicate a pre-cancerous condition or even cancer and should get you to the dentist even sooner:

• Patches inside your mouth that are white, red, or a mixture of white and red, that don’t wipe off, and that last longer than two weeks

• A sore on your lip or in your mouth that won’t heal

• A lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area in the mouth

• A persistent sore throat or a feeling that something is caught in your throat

• Difficulty chewing or swallowing

• Difficulty moving your jaw or tongue, or numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth

• And if you wear dentures, a swelling of the jaw that makes the dentures fit poorly

These symptoms or signs may be caused by other, more benign conditions, and they often are. Still, if you have one of these, get thee to a dentist! The dentist can do a “brush biopsy” that’s a lot like a pap smear without the speculum. Or if she is really suspicious, she might actually take a piece of tissue from the offending area and send it off to s pathologist.

While using tobacco products and drinking heavily account for 75 percent of all oral cancers, 25 percent of people who get an oral cancer do not indulge in tobacco use or drink heavily. So when I ask Jeffry’s assistant to make him a dentist appointment, I guess I’ll ask her to make one for me as well.