Some people are surprised when they hear that we talk to our teen patients about smoking.  At Cipes Pediatric Dentistry we feel that the dental check up is a great time to start counseling adolescents about the risks of smoking.  Stopping kids from ever smoking could have a huge health impact….smoking kills about 443,000 people in the US every year and 90% of smokers start before they are 18!  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2011 about 18% of high school students and 4% of middle school students were smokers.   That’s a scary fact!   

A recent article featured in USA Today discussed the importance of hearing about the dangers of smoking from multiple sources.   The article quoted Robert Wood Johnson saying “We need to do everything we can to reduce a young person’s opportunity to try their first cigarette or to go from experimenting to becoming addicted.”  You can read the whole article at… http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/26/teen-smoking-doctors/2687711/  

A dental appointment provides a great opportunity for a trusted adult to counsel teens before they start smoking about the risks of smoking and to offer assistance to stop if they are already smoking.   For more information for teens who want help, or information about talking to your teen, you can go to www.teen.smokefree.gov