Keeping your teeth strong and healthy is an important part of living a full life. In addition to your teeth, it is important to pay attention to your mouth.

Oral cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of cancer out there, and it can affect the tongue, throat, lip, and mouth. It is more dangerous than brain, cervical, skin, and ovarian cancer. One of the problems with oral cancer is its lack of symptoms. You won’t show any at first, which means that the earliest stages of the disease can fly right by without you noticing a thing that is off about your oral health.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is usually asymptomatic throughout its first few stages. However, there are a few things that you can keep in mind and keep an eye out for just in case:

• • You develop a sore in your mouth, especially one that doesn’t heal and that bleeds easily
  • The color of your gums or other tissue changes
  • Your teeth seem to be fitting together oddly
  • You experience tenderness, numbness, or pain in the lips or mouth
  • You have trouble swallowing, moving your tongue or jaw, or chewing

One of the most effective ways to detect oral cancer before it becomes too advanced to fight is by regularly coming in to see us for a cleaning and examination. We will look for signs of oral cancer and other oral disorders at every exam. This helps to detect any potential signs of the disease in its earliest stages and is particularly important because when it is discovered early, the survivability rate for oral cancer is around 90%.

• • The ability to detect the disease early: Oral cancer is deadly but highly curable when caught in its earliest stages.
  • A decrease in your risk: The earlier you catch oral cancer, the lower your risk is of developing the disease again.
  • Improved treatment options: The earlier we catch oral cancer, the more treatment options available to you. For example, when it is caught early, surgery might be an option. However, if it is missed until it is far advanced, surgery might not be possible, and you will have to face other, more difficult treatment options.
  • Improved quality of life: If caught early, you can avoid the problematic side effects of the disease and the treatments used to fight it. This includes things like eating and speaking difficulties, as well as pain.
  • Catching other problems: When you come in for a cancer screening, we will also be able to see any other oral health problems that you might be facing. This can help you avoid more serious issues down the road.