Recent good news have been published about the fight against cancer and your dentist has the updated info.
The claim is: early oral cancer is easier than before to detect, making the opportunity and the percentage for a cure in a high level.
Five years and above is the current life expectation for any patient diagnosed with oral cancer.
Your dentist is equiped with the latest technology of skills and tools to ensure that the first signs of cancer and the pre-cancerous conditions are identified and ready to be treated.
You as a patient, in accord with your dentist, can win the fight agaisnt oral cancer. To know and detect the early signs, you must consult your dentist regularly.
You should be aware That
· Oral cancer usually begins with small, almost invisible red or white dot or sore in one or diverse parts of the mouth.
· Any area of the oral cavity like the gingiva, lips, cheek lining, the palates, and the tongues can be touched.
· Other signs are:
- A difficult to heal sore that constantly bleeding.
- Oral tissues that change color.
- Tiny eroded area crusted on top or a lumpy thickened rough spot.
- A tendency for the mouth and the lips to be tender, painful and numb
- It becomes hard to chew, swallow, speak or move the tongue and jaw.
- The teeth do not fit the same way.
· Tobacco users are the most affected by oral cancer.
· Smoking and drinking alcohol add tremendously to the risk to get oral cancer.
· Long time exposure to the sun is a lip cancer increaser.
· 25% and above is the rate of oral cancer happening to people with no risk factor.
· 40 years of age and above is the oral cancer strike period.
· According to study, a diet flourish with fruits and vegetables may help in the prevention of potential cancerous sores development.
The importance of regular dental check-ups
An examination of the entire mouth during regular dental check-ups will help detect cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions.
Your dentist will take a good look at all the areas of your mouth. In an average of 10 % of all the patients, the dentist will come in contact with a red or white dot, although flat is painless developping into sore.
Most of these are harmless in the beginning but others are not. Harmful and harmless dots, spots or sores look alike from the beginning; only testting can differenciate them.
This kind of test is called a biopsy which generally is painless and can determine the existence of potential affected cells at an earlier stage of the disease.
If your dentist identifies spots judged suspicious and dangerous, a scalpel biosy test may be ordered to certify the matter and correct the wrong.
This procedure requires local anesthesia that can be done by the dentist in his office or he can forward the case to a specialist that will perform the procedure mostly in a hospital to well eradicate oral cancer.