class=”TParticle”>Oral cancer, like any other cancer, can be deadly, but if you know your risks and focus on early detection with regular checkups in our office, it can be treated before it becomes life threatening.
Risk Factors Of Oral Cancer
There are several different factors that can greatly increase your risk of oral cancer such as tobacco use. This includes cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipes and any other use of tobacco. Heavy alcohol use is another habit that can increase your risk of developing oral cancer.
A weakened immune system and excessive exposure to the sun are two more factors that can increase your risk. While there’s no proven way to completely prevent oral cancer, avoiding tobacco and alcohol and using sunscreen can help lower your risks.
Some of the early symptoms of oral cancer can include; sores that never heal or take an unusually long time to heal, sores that bleed, loose teeth and a thickening of the skin in your mouth. Additionally, any growth, lump or sore in your mouth should be checked out immediately by our office. Symptoms can also be painful like pain in the tongue, jaw or throat that can lead to difficulty chewing and swallowing. Again, if you notice any of these symptoms, please call our office right away and schedule a checkup.
As with any cancer, early detection is the best way to ensure that any treatment is as effective as possible. As part of your regular cleaning, our staff thoroughly examines your mouth looking for abnormalities and irregularities in your mouth. We believe that oral cancer is best treated early and therefore we include a screen with every checkup.
Give our office a call today and schedule your next checkup, and if you’re noticing any of the symptoms we’ve mentioned above, let us know right away so that we can get you in as soon as possible.