Smyle Dental Bakersfield is marking the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19 by encouraging adult patients to discuss tobacco use at routine checkups and by sharing information on free quit-smoking support throughout November. The society has held the observance on the third Thursday of November for almost 50 years as a starting point for people who want to stop smoking.
Through November, the office is asking adult patients to tell the dental team about any use of cigarettes, vaping products or smokeless tobacco when health histories are reviewed at checkups. Patients who want help quitting are being directed to Kick It California, a free tobacco cessation program operated by UC San Diego with major funding from the state Department of Public Health and First 5 California. The program began as the California Smokers' Helpline, which it describes as the first publicly funded statewide quitline, and it offers coaching in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese, according to its website.
“Tobacco use is part of every adult health history the office reviews, and the Smokeout gives the team a reason to ask about it directly. The practice is sharing free quit-support information all November,” said David Zaghi, DDS, lead dentist at Smyle Dental.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies smoking as an important cause of severe gum disease. The agency states that people who smoke have twice the risk for gum disease compared with nonsmokers, and that the risk grows with the number of cigarettes smoked and the number of years a person has smoked. Tobacco use in any form, including cigarettes, pipes and smokeless tobacco, raises that risk, according to the CDC, which also notes that gum disease treatments may not work as well for people who smoke.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 60,480 people nationwide will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer in 2026 and that about 13,150 people will die from these cancers. The society reports that these cancers are more than twice as common in men as in women and that the average age at diagnosis is 64. Incidence has risen about 1% per year since the mid-2000s, mostly because of a rise in cancers linked with human papillomavirus infection, according to the society. It also reports that smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke cause more than 480,000 deaths each year and that cigarette smoking causes about three of every 10 cancer deaths.
Nearly 1 in 5 adults, or 49.2 million people, reported current use of a tobacco product in 2022, according to the CDC. Many people who smoke want to stop, and a CDC report published in 2024 found that about 67.7% of the 28.8 million U.S. adults who smoked in 2022 wanted to quit and 53.3% made a quit attempt in the past year, while 8.8% quit successfully. Among those who saw a health professional in the past year, about half received advice to quit, according to the report.
Smyle Dental operates two offices led by Zaghi, a graduate of the USC School of Dentistry and a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and the San Gabriel Valley Dental Society. The office provides general, restorative, cosmetic, periodontal and emergency dentistry. Its general dentistry services include routine exams, professional cleanings, digital X-rays and an oral cancer screening, which the practice describes as a short check of the tongue, cheeks, gums and throat, according to its website.
The Great American Smokeout takes place Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026. Location and hours are listed on the Google Business Profile for Smyle Dental Bakersfield.
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal health decisions.
About Smyle Dental Bakersfield
Smyle Dental Bakersfield is a dental office led by David Zaghi, DDS, a graduate of the USC School of Dentistry and a member of the American Dental Association and the California Dental Association. The office provides preventive, restorative, cosmetic, periodontal and emergency dental care. Smyle Dental Bakersfield is located at 2016 E St, Bakersfield, CA 93301, and can be reached at (661) 493-9040. Website: smyledentist.com
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For more information about Smyle Dental Bakersfield, contact the company here:
Smyle Dental Bakersfield
Dr. David Zaghi
16614939040
smyledentalgroup@gmail.com
2016 E St, Bakersfield, CA 93301, United States