Mouth Cancer Action Month

As you may know, November is Mouth Cancer Action Month, and we wanted to remind you of some of the warning signs to look out for. Each year more lives are lost to mouth cancer than testicular and cervical cancer combined. You must frequently check for any changes in your mouth and have regular visits to your dentist. "I don’t have any pain, so I don’t need to go for routine dental checkups”. This is something we often hear in the clinic. But it is essential to have a dental checkup regularly because many diseases in the mouth are silent or asymptomatic. This includes dental decay, chronic gum disease, and oral cancer. Early detection always saves lives. At Avalon Dental Center we take mouth cancer screening very seriously.

How to Reduce Mouth Cancer Risk

• Do not smoke

• Keep the recommended weekly limits for alcohol consumption (21 units for men and 14 units for women)

• Eat a “Mediterranean-style diet”, with plenty of fresh vegetables (particularly tomatoes), citrus fruits, olive oil, and fish

• It's also important that you have regular dental check-ups because dentists can often spot the early stages of mouth cancer.

We are committed to supporting the health of our patients and have seen the impact that mouth cancer can have. Cancer can occur on any part of the mouth: tongue, lips adjacent areas such as throat, saliva glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus, and other sites in the head and neck. Make sure you are mouth aware by knowing which signs and symptoms to look out for. Working together, we can raise awareness and help fight mouth cancer. Look at your mouth regularly.

These things may be early signs of mouth cancer:

• Ulcers that do not heal within 3 weeks

• Pain or discomfort in the mouth

• Lumps and swellings of no obvious cause in the mouth or neck

• Bleeding from the mouth or throat

• Red or white patches inside the mouth

• Changes in texture; hardness, roughness

• Teeth that become loose

• Difficulty or pain with swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw

• Persistent hoarseness or changes to the voice

• Persistent coughing or the feeling that something is stuck in the throat

• Numbness or tingling of the lips or tongue

• Dentures that suddenly stop fitting properly

We are committed to fighting mouth cancer at our Avalon Dental Center and encourage you to join us in the fight! If you would like to know more about mouth cancer screenings, or you are worried about any of the symptoms please let us know. We always check for mouth cancer at our appointments.

For more information about dental health, please call one of our offices or contact us online.