Oral Cancer does not receive a significant amount of publicity, but the fatality rates for this type of cancer are higher than those for skin cancer. It’s important to be aware of oral cancer, understand the causes and know what to look for.
Here is a list of common symptoms associated with this disease:
- A sore in your mouth or on your lip that won’t heal.
- Discomfort swallowing or consistent pain when swallowing.
- Unexplained bleeding in the mouth.
- Numbness or loss of feeling in any area of the mouth, face or neck.
- Changes in the way your teeth or dentures fit together when biting down.
- Patches inside the mouth or on the lips that are white, red or a mixture of white and red (more on this below).
- Persistent ear aches.
- Sudden weight loss.
The presence of white or gray colored patches on the tongue, roof of the mouth, inside the cheeks or on the gums may be a condition called leukoplakia. The development of leukoplakia is the mouth’s reaction to irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. The probability that leukoplakia will turn into oral cancer is low.
Brightly colored red patches that form in the mouth may be a condition known as erythroplakia. This condition brings a high level of risk for developing into an oral cancer.
Patches in the mouth with a color that is a mix of red and white may be a condition called erythroleukoplakia. There is an intermediate risk and probability of erythroleukoplakia becoming malignant.
People experiencing these above symptoms should seek the care of a dental care professional in order to properly diagnose and treat the condition as soon as possible.
Oral Cancer Awareness Month
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Akron and Canton area dentists, Dr. James George and Dr. Mark Grucella will be educating the public about oral cancer and stressing the importance of having regularly scheduled oral cancer screenings performed by a dental care professional. To read more about oral cancer, please visit www.akroncantondentist.com .
No matter what your dental issue or how long it’s been since you have seen a dentist, Dr. James George and Dr. Mark Grucella only care about one thing… Making You Smile!
Dr. James George and Dr. Mark Grucella Dentistry 