Oral or mouth cancer can affect any part of your mouth, including the roof and floor, gums, tongue, lips and the inside of your cheeks. It is caused when cells in the mouth mutate and continue to grow and divide when normally healthy cells would die. As these unhealthy cells accumulate, they begin to form a growth or tumour. Most oral cancers begin in the flat, thin cells lining your mouth and lips, called squamous cells.
Who is More Likely to Develop Oral Cancer?
There are some specific risk factors for mouth cancer, and smoking or using tobacco products is one of the biggest. Heavy drinking and excessive sun exposure, especially if you have sunburned lips, are other risk factors. People with weakened immune systems are more at risk. Another is exposure to the human papillomavirus. Even if you don’t have any known risk factors, you shouldn’t be complacent about oral cancer in Newcastle. Around a quarter of all cases are diagnosed in people who do not have any obvious risk factors.
What Are the Signs of Oral Cancer?
Various signs may indicate the cells inside your mouth are changing, including a sore spot or ulcer that doesn’t heal after a couple of weeks. Other symptoms include changes to the colour or texture of the tissues inside your mouth or noticing you have lumps or bumps that weren’t there before. Your mouth may become painful, and it could become difficult to swallow food comfortably. Oral cancer can loosen teeth. It can also cause ear pain.
Is It Possible to Prevent Oral Cancer?
Unfortunately, as with any form of cancer, there is no proven way to prevent this disease, but you can reduce your risk. If you smoke or use any tobacco products, it’s a good reason for quitting. If you like a drink, make sure you only consume alcohol in moderation and protect your lips with good quality sunscreen when out in the sun. Another way you can protect yourself is by making sure you come to visit us regularly at West Bowmanville Family Dental. You might not have realized that an oral cancer screening is part of your regular checkup when visiting our dentist.
Getting an Oral Cancer Screening
If you are concerned about your oral health and have noticed any changes, it’s worth seeing a dentist in Clarington for a checkup. Otherwise, an oral cancer screening during your regular dental checkup will help detect any changes. The screening is completely painless and non-invasive but is effective in helping to detect any early symptoms. Our dentist will gently feel the lymph nodes in your neck and will visually check the inside of your mouth. They will check your tongue and the roof and floor of your mouth. Some dentists use a handheld device to detect tissue changes more easily, but a visual exam is still the gold standard.
It is unlikely there will be anything wrong, but if our dentist does spot something requiring closer examination, they can remove a small tissue sample for analysis and check for any precancerous changes or cancer cells. If there is something amiss, you can be referred to a specialist for further treatment.
Checking Your Mouth Between Dental Visits
In between dental checkups in Courtice, it’s worth carrying out a monthly inspection inside your mouth, checking carefully for any colour changes or lumps and bumps or sore spots. By visually checking your mouth each month, you will recognize healthy tissues more easily, so it would be easier to spot any changes.
