Oral cancer is a potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages. It is an aggressive disease with a survival rate of only 50% over 5 years.
Oral cancer can often go undetected until the cancer is advanced as patients often do not experience any symptoms.
Causes of Oral Cancer
Any kind of smoking – vaping, cigarette smoking, cigars, marijuana and any other inhalation habit where you burn the throat
Alcohol consumption – Cancer risk increases with long-term consumption of alcohol rather than the amount consumed each time you drink.
Sun Exposure – The skin on your lips can be easily damaged by sun exposure. Protect your lips from harmful UV rays when out in the sun by applying a minimum of SPF15+ lip balm
Diet – A poor diet increases the risk of oral cancer by depriving your body of antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals.
Warning signs
Oral cancer includes a range of cancers that affect any part of the oral cavity. This can include the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, gums, back of the throat or salivary glands.
It occurs most commonly on the sides of the tongue and the floor of the mouth.
The appearance of oral cancer varies greatly and can appear similar to other conditions that effect the mouth.
In early stages, oral cancers will have often have no symptoms. Pain is more common in advanced cases.
Signs may include:
A sore, irritation, lump or change in the thickness of soft tissues.
An ulcer that is present for longer than 2 weeks or continues to return over and over again.
Blood blister in the mouth that does not heal or repeatedly comes back.
A white or red patch in the mouth.
A continued feeling that something is caught in the throat.
Difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue around.
Glands/lymph nodes under the jaw that are swollen and do not go away.
A sore throat that does not go away.
Difficulty speaking, or a change in voice.
The tongue or other areas of the mouth feel numb.
Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to stop fitting properly or become uncomfortable to wear.
There can be a number of reasons other than oral cancer for the occurrence of such symptoms, so do not panic if you feel like you have a situation listed above.
If you are concerned about your oral health, please contact Dbay Dental today on 3203 0162 for an appointment with one of our friendly dentists, or Book Online.