Your Dentist Can Save Your Life
Let's talk about something serious. I don't know if you have ever seen the pictures of people after oral cancer surgery, but it can be very disfiguring. Sometimes it involves the removal of part of the tongue or jaw and can sentence the patient to living with masks or prosthetic facial devices in extreme instances.
Eating can go from one of the great pleasures of life to a source of pain and frustration. Anorexia is a serious side effect of oral cancer surgery and excessive weight loss can become a primary concern to patients and their care providers.
Oral cancer is also one of the deadliest cancers. Only half of the people who are diagnosed will be alive in five years. The key to surviving this killer (as with all types of cancer) is early diagnosis. One way to ensure the earliest diagnosis possible is through oral cancer screenings in your dental office. If your dental office does not check for oral cancer each and every time you have a hygiene appointment, please request them to do so. It can save your life.
Patients who get dentures in our office sometimes disappear, never to be seen again. The dental profession can do a much better job of following up with denture patients to look for mouth sores or signs of oral cancer. As patients age, we need to be advocates for them. Many times, people will not notice small changes in their oral tissue and the signs of oral cancer can be slight or can be confused with canker cores or cold sores.
So what are the signs of oral cancer?
- A whiteish "film" on the inside of the mouth, gums or tongue.
- Canker sore type lesion
- Dark lesions
- Any discoloration
Any lesion or discoloration that does not heal within two weeks should be examined by your dentist or hygienist. It is possible they will send you to an oral surgeon for a biopsy or they may be able to rule out cancer entirely.
Dr. Johnson and Molly volunteer at the 9Healthfair every year. This year, Molly will be at Spirit of Christ from 7am to 12pm doing oral cancer screenings.
