Difference between los and portion?

[jdman321]

Is los snus any more harmful for you than portions (teeth and gum health)? And with los, you use it the same way as portions, but basically it's just so you can determine how much tobacco you want?

[Experimental Monkey]

No difference in health issues. Once you learn how to handle it los is awesome and far superior. Tastes better and you get more.

[jdman321]

Unlike portions, los is mainly used under the bottom lip correct? Also, is there a certain technique to hold it in place. I'd assume it would ball up and clump together when wet anyway.

Just spit it out when you're done with it? I'd be too afraid of swallowing left over tobacco after I toss the main wad out.

[Experimental Monkey]

Oh no, top lip is the traditional way. Portions are just loose snus packed in a pouch. I just swipe my finger across the top of my mouth and the snus sticks on my finger and out it goes. Then I wash my mouth out a little and bake another prilla. I'd recommend watching some how to bake loose videos on YouTube and ordering 2-3 cans of loose to see how you like it.

[EbenezerScrews]

It all goes upper lip, or lower, or under your tongue, wherever.

I usually ball/clump it up before it goes under the lip(iicetool or by hand). It stays in place, better once you learn to stop squishing it with your lip. Maybe push it up with the tongue once it warms up to keep it from sliding down.

Yup, just spit. Sometimes I get a finger up there to pop it out if it's a stronger flavor that I don't want a mouthful of(liquorice). Most taste really good though(ettan), I chew any stray bits and swallow them with no problems.

[jdman321]

Thanks. What do you mean 'bake another prilla'? You'd imagine it being loose would be more harmful for your teeth/gums since it would get in between teeth and possibly stay there for awhile if it gets jammed in those hard to reach places.

[Experimental Monkey]

Bake another prilla is slang for handbaking another portion or prilla in Swedish terms of loose snus before you put it in. Yeah, little tiny bits could get stuck up there but they've been doing loose in Sweden hundreds of years. Portions didnt really take off till the 80's. In those hundreds of years there's no reports of major damage to the mouth from loose snus.

[snusjus]

Gingival recessions are more common in users of loose snus than in users of portion-packed snus and are irreversible (Swedish Match, 2008).

Users of portion-packed snus have less pronounced snus lesions than users of loose snus (Swedish Match, 2008).

All information obtained from www.swedishmatch.com

[f. bandersnatch]

I would posit that the primary harm from Swedish snus, if there is any, comes from having a piece of salty, flavorized tobacco rubbing against your gum for extended periods of time throughout the day, everyday. I would not worry too much about determining risk between the various forms it takes. Whether or not you get pieces stuck between your teeth is not going to have determinable impact on the damage it may or may not do.

That being said, floss your teeth and think about how ****ed your face and body would be if you were sucking down two dozen smokes a day. That's what works for me.

[snusgetter]

What he's not telling you is that there are no reports simply because, as a gruesome side-effect, everyone's tongues and fingers fell off after a few years of snusing during this period as a result of repeated exposure to unwrapped tobacco.

That Swedish society survived through this century long dark age is a testament to their fortitude, disposition and easily digestible traditional foods (as well as their long-time habit of encoding the basics of their civilization onto rocks called "rune stones").

When portion snus was invented (1977) the Swedish culture entered a renaissance period that continued unabated right up until 1994 when they, perhaps tired from almost 20 years of unparalleled progress, joined the EU.

In other words, there are side effects to lös that primarily affect brain function.

Gotcha!

[snusjus]

From my own experience with los, I would recommend switching to portions if you develop a prolonged, constant burning sensation where the snus is placed. I ignored it and developed a nasty looking white patch under my upper lip -- my dentist told me it was leukoplakia, which is prevalent in nearly all smokeless tobacco users, including snusares. While the area still appears grey and wrinkly, the symptoms have subsided for the most part. Keep in mind, leukoplakia does NOT mean you will develop oral cancer. It simply means your membrane mucosa (gums) has been irritated for a long period of time. Whether you choose los or portions, remember cigarettes are far more damaging.

[precious007]

There is one single difference ...

If you want to feel the real pleasure of snus use loose, if you just want to play around use portions! :^)

[jdman321]

Thanks for all the replies. Since I already have gingivitis, I'll probably be sticking to portions, maybe a los here and there once every couple months but not regularly. Probably got it from smoking.

[Rattlesnake]

Los will cure gingivitis! It is a proven fact. If you don't believe it, ask me.

[tom502]

I don't think los affects the gums any more than portion, actually, I think the portions are more abraisive, as they move around and rub the gum more, while los just sits there. I was mainly using portions at a time, but now, I am just using los. Have some Pioneer Snuff in now. Los is a bit harder, or more complicated, and more messy, but I do believe the flavor is better with los, and I think trial and error experience helps with it's use.

Los(loose) snus is kinda like Playdough, and you just hand form a flatish pellet, and stick it under you top lip. I think handforming is better than a portioner tool, because to me, the portioner tools make a hard pellet, and it hurts my gum, the shape they make just isn't comfortable to me.

And yes, it does get mashed in your teeth, and that's what makes me reluctant to use it out and about, because a mudslide(where the snus just breaks apart) can be a mouth mess. And I like to be able to rinse out my mouth, or brush my teeth after use.

I am working on being a los only user, the free natural taste is better, plus you have the power to determine how much you use, I do find if I make a pellet too big, then it will usually mudslide quickly, so with trial and error you find the right size, and a can of los has more than a can of portions.