Tongue and Oral Cancers: What to
Look For and How to Prevent Them
Much news
and reporting has been made regarding cancer. Breast, prostate, colon and skin
cancer are among the types you often hear and read about with regards to
detection, prevention and treatment. However, many other cancers exist and
should also be on your radar—especially when they can be prevented. Tongue and
oral cancers can be just as serious as other types of cancer and are often
missed by people who are not aware of what they need to look for or what they
can do to prevent it.
Oral cancer includes cancers of the cheeks, lips, mouth
floor and tongue. It often appears as a sore or growth in the mouth that never
goes away. Common symptoms include swelling, lumps, bumps or rough spots inside
the mouth or on the lips or gums; unexplained numbness or pain in any part of
the mouth, face, neck or ear; sores on the face, neck or mouth that easily
bleed and do not heal quickly; feeling like something is caught in the back of
your throat; and difficulty swallowing or chewing.
Risk factors include smoking, a family history of cancer,
excessive alcohol consumption, poor eating habits and excessive exposure to the
sun (most notably for lip cancer). Men make up 70% of oral cancer diagnoses
with men older than fifty years having a higher risk.
The good
news is that there are preventative
steps you can take to minimize your chances of getting any type of oral
cancer including limiting alcohol consumption and sun exposure, avoiding all
tobacco products and marijuana, eating a healthy diet (especially Vitamin
A-containing vegetables) and getting regularly scheduled dental check-ups. You
can also conduct a self-exam once a month by checking your lips, cheeks and
gums for anything suspicious. Also look at your tongue to see if you notice
anything unusual. There is also a strong link between oral cancer and the HPV
virus so for young people especially, they need to be very careful about
engaging in certain types of sexual activity that can increase the risk of
developing the HPV virus which can ultimately lead to some type of oral cancer.
The most
important thing to remember is that early
detection along with prevention increases your survival rate so it is
necessary to be aware of any changes in or around your mouth and make an
appointment immediately with your dental care provider if you see something out
of the ordinary. As with all cancers, the quicker they are diagnosed and
treated, the better the outcome. We at Diamond Braces would be more than happy to
provide you with a complete check up to make sure you are not at risk. Visit us
at www.diamondbraces.com for further information or to make a free
complementary consultation