Oral or mouth cancer in Oshawa can affect any part of the tissues in your mouth. This includes your lips, tongue, inside your cheeks, your gums, and the roof and floor of your mouth.
What Are the Potential Signs of Mouth Cancer?
Possible symptoms of mouth cancer include having a sore anywhere inside your mouth or on your lips which doesn’t heal within a couple of weeks. It can cause colour changes inside your mouth so that you may see white or reddish patches of skin. Oral cancer can make it difficult or painful to chew and swallow food. It can cause lumps or bumps or rough patches of skin to develop in the mouth, and teeth may start to loosen.
Many of these symptoms are caused by other conditions that have nothing to do with cancer, but it is important to come and see us if you have any symptoms that are bothering you and have lasted more than a couple of weeks or so. Our dentist at Margolian Dentistry can examine your mouth and will most likely investigate other common causes of these problems, such as an infection. However, we would much rather see you and be able to put your mind at rest than need to make a diagnosis considerably later. The long-term prognosis is far better when we can diagnose any cell changes and early signs of cancer sooner.
Is Anyone More at Risk of Developing Mouth Cancer?
Oral cancer in Whitby can affect anyone; around a quarter of cases are in people with no known risk factors. However, certain conditions and lifestyle factors can increase your risk of developing oral cancer. These include having a weaker immune system, exposure to the human papillomavirus, excessive sunbathing, and using tobacco of any kind or drinking alcohol to excess.
Reducing Your Risk
There is no sure way to prevent oral cancer, but you can reduce your risk by practising a healthy lifestyle. If you currently smoke, try to quit completely and drink alcohol in moderation. When you go out in the sun, use good quality sunscreen, and preferably wear a hat that shades your entire face.
Another preventive measure is to make sure you see us regularly. We can carry out oral cancer screenings during your routine dental exam. These screenings are quick, non-invasive and painless, and we use VELscope screening technology to help us detect any changes more easily. A VELscope is a small handheld device that emits blue light. When we shine this blue light into your mouth, it causes the tissues to fluoresce. Any tissues with signs of cell changes will fluoresce slightly differently, including where there are cases of a fungal or bacterial infection, not just cancer. We also check the inside of your mouth visually and look for any colour changes or changes to the texture of tissues or signs of lumps, bumps or rough or sore spots.
What Happens If Something Is Wrong?
If we want to check an area more closely, we can take a tiny sample of cells called a biopsy to send away for further analysis. A pathologist can then check for any signs of precancerous cell changes that could increase the risk of developing cancer in the future or other possible causes for the changes inside your mouth. The possibility of developing mouth cancer in Ajax is one reason we thoroughly recommend routine dental exams as part of your preventive dental care plan. Regular dental checkups help us detect any changes to your oral health much more quickly, so if you need any treatment, it can be provided at an earlier stage.
