Dentist in Northwest Oklahoma City Talks Cancer Awareness

Many patients, unfortunately, discover that they have oral cancer when the disease has already begun aggressively attacking their body. In most cases, if oral cancer is caught during its preliminary stages, your survival rate is upwards to 80-90%! Contrary, your chance of survival is cut in half during its late stages. And even if you do survive years past your physician’s prediction, your quality of life will be negatively affected by harsh treatments and possibly even disfigurements.

Your dentist in Northwest Oklahoma City is here to help patients discover the power of awareness. Tt’s our duty at Bluff Creek Dental as your dental health professionals to make sure our patients are aware of the risks, symptoms during your routine dental appointment with us.

Are you at risk?

Although oral cancer can affect anybody, around 91% of all diagnoses link to the lifestyle patients uphold.  By altering habits for the better, you can reduce your chances of developing oral cancer.  Here are the two main risk factors that have shown to make a patient much more likely to develop the disease.

Tobacco

It’s estimated that one in five people smoke tobacco products. Believe it or not, tobacco accounts for two in every three oral cancer cases! Thousands of chemicals contained in a single cigarette enter your body through your oral cavity. The best time to quit smoking is now. There’s no time like the present!

And just because you don’t smoke doesn’t mean you’re not at risk—especially if you choose to use smokeless tobacco. Change your tobacco habits and reduce your risk of developing oral cancer by a whole third.

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol abuse is also another huge factor in developing oral cancer. Moderation is key with alcohol consumption for not just your oral health, but your overall health. The risk of developing cancerous cells in or around your mouth is increased by a third for excessive alcohol consumers.

What are the symptoms?

The earliest signs of oral cancer can be mistaken for other problems, such as a painful toothache or lingering cold. This makes it difficult for an untrained eye to recognize whether an abnormality is cancerous or not. If you notice the same, persistent oral abnormalities for weeks at a time, consider visiting our office for an oral cancer screening. Your dentist will be able to spot the signs and symptoms early on like these:

• Persistent mouth sores
• Continuous mouth pain
• Lumps on your cheek
• White or red patches on your gums
• A sore throat that lasts for weeks
• Difficulty swallowing or chewing
• Difficulty moving your tongue or jaw
• Numbness in your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Change in voice
• Weight loss
• Chronic bad breath

What can you do to protect yourself?

Our team takes this threat seriously as should you! The good thing is that Bluff Creek Dental provides cancer screenings as a vital part of your regular checkup. Dr. Crowley will thoroughly review the oral tissues in your mouth, head, and neck area for signs of oral cancer that you may not be able to notice. If our team detects anything suspicious, we can perform a biopsy right away to move forward with getting you a concrete diagnosis. Contact our Oklahoma City office today to schedule your next appointment and stay two steps ahead of oral cancer.