The dental office is often the first line of defense for an oral cancer diagnosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, oral or mouth cancer refers to cancer that "develops in any of the parts of that make up the mouth. Mouth cancer can occur on the: lips, gums, tongue, inner lining of the cheeks, roof of the mouth and the floor of the mouth."
Oral cancer is not a rare disease. Approximately 49,750 people will be
diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the US. It kills one person every hour
of every day, and approximately 132 new individuals will be diagnosed with it
each day. The good news is that it can often be found early in its development,
through a simple, painless, and quick screening. If you visit your dentist regularly (at least
twice a year), you are getting a unique opportunity to have a medical
professional screen your mouth for signs of cancer.
Without
vigilance, cancer diagnosis may be delayed which often translates to poorer
outcomes and higher mortality rates. Oral cancer that is detected early has an
80 percent five-year survival rate.
Cancer is often associated with heavy drinking, use of
tobacco products and UV exposure. Oral
cancer can be difficult to diagnose as there are generally few physical
symptoms in the early stages. Schedule your appointment with Dr. Elbert
today to ensure you have a healthier mouth tomorrow!
In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, Thousand Oaks
Smile Design will be offering free oral cancer screenings during the month of
April.
Who should get screened?
Every adult. Oral cancer can often be caught early, even as
a pre-cancer. With early detection, survival rates are high and the side
effects are from treatment are at their lowest. Like other screenings you
engage in such as cervical, skin, prostate, colon and breast examinations, oral
cancer screenings are an effective means of finding cancer at its early, highly
curable stages. Make them part of your annual health check-ups.
What are the risk factors?
There are two distinct pathways by which most people come to oral
cancer. One is thorough the use of tobacco and alcohol, a long term historic
problem and cause, and the other is through exposure to the HPV16 virus (human
papilloma virus version 16), which is now the leading cause of oropharyngeal
cancers in the US, and the same one, which is responsible for the vast majority
of cervical cancers in women. The quickest growing segment of the oral cancer
population are young, healthy, non-smokers due to the connection to this virus.
Early Indicators:
- Red and/or white discolorations of the soft
tissues of the mouth.
- Any sore which does not heal within 14 days.
- Hoarseness which lasts for a prolonged period of time.
Advanced Indicators:
- A sensation that something is stuck in you throat.
- Numbness in the oral region.
- Difficulty in moving the jaw or tongue.
- Difficulty in swallowing.
- Ear pain which occurs on one side only.
- A sore under a denture, which even after adjustment of the denture,
still does not heal.
- A lump or thickening which develops in the mouth or on the neck.
The
team at Thousand Oaks Smile Design, are dedicated professionals whose passion
is your smile. We would like to highlight them in this blog so you can
familiarize yourself with these members of our staff.
Meagan
Moore is originally from Calabasas. She received
her diploma in Dental Assisting in 2010. Outside of work Meagan enjoys camping,
boating and water skiing. Meagan is looking forward to growing with our office
and applying her dental experience. She is a great addition to our team!
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