BLOG #50 WARNING SIGNS YOU HAVE ORAL CANCER

BLOG #47 THE SECRET TRICK FOR NEVER GETTING OLD
Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S.  713-781-2800    Dr. Matt Guerre D.D.S. 713-781-2800
In collaboration with Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444
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When I was in dental school, we had to spend a lot of time and training at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to learn all of the signs of oral cancer and how to treat them. Back then, I was taught that about 10% of all cancer was in the mouth or throat. What is oral cancer? Oral cancer is sometimes called MOUTH CANCER. It can develop in any part of your mouth including on or under the tongue, the gums, the jawbone, the roof of your mouth, the throat, and the skin lining of the mouth or lips. Oral cancer NOW accounts for about 4% of all cancers annually in the United States. It most often occurs in men over the age of 40, thank goodness it has gone down.

What are the warning signs that you have oral cancer? Call your Dentist or Physician immediately if you notice
any of the following:

• An irritation or sore spot in the mouth that bleeds easily and doesn’t heal.
• Bleeding in the mouth. Bleeding is never a good sign and can also be gum disease.
• Red or white spots/patches on your tongue, gums, or any other areas of your mouth or throat.
• A change in the tone of your voice is not related to allergies, flu, or a cold and sinus infections.
• Tenderness, pain, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips that persists more than a few weeks.
• A lump or swelling in the cheek, tongue, throat, or neck.
• A thick, rough, or scaley spot.
• A small area that looks like it’s wearing away anywhere in the throat or mouth.
• Difficulty talking, swallowing, chewing, or moving your jaw or tongue.
• Any change in the way your teeth come together or fit when you bite down.
• An earache that doesn’t go away.
• Numbness of the tongue, throat, roof of the mouth, lower lip, or chin area.

What can I do to help prevent oral cancer?

The number one cause of oral cancer is tobacco in any form! Tobacco is to blame for 90% of all oral cancer whether it is cigarettes, cigars, snuff, or chewing tobacco. If you smoke and drink a lot of alcohol, then your risk is even higher. Heavy use of Alcohol alone is also a risk, but mixed with smoking increases your risk even more.

Cancer of the lips can result from too much exposure to the sun and sunburn. If you’re going to be out in the sun, use a lip balm with sunscreen and wear a hat. The risk of lip cancer increases with — you guessed it — smoking.

HPV (human papillomavirus) can also infect the mouth and throat. These viruses are passed through sexual contact. HPV infection is linked to cancer of the throat, tonsil area, or the base of the tongue, and in the soft palate.

Though it is not common in this country, chewing betel nuts can cause oral cancer. Betel nuts are a type of palm seed that is wrapped with a betel leaf and sometimes mixed with spices, sweeteners, and tobacco. Chewing them is most common in Asia. The risk of oral cancer from betel nuts is increased with alcohol and tobacco use.

Fortunately, the percentage of oral cancer has gone down since I was in dental school (Probably because of a reduction in smoking). One of the best things you can do to prevent oral cancer is to visit your dentist regularly. Dentists and dental hygienists are extremely well trained in what to look for, so don’t miss your cleaning appointments.

SUMMARY-One of the best things about oral cancer (there are no good things about oral cancer) is that the percentage of cases is going down and that it is easy to prevent about 90% of it-QUIT SMOKING! If detected early it also has a fairly good cure rate (about 60% at 5 years). One of the best ways to catch it early is to go see your dentist on a regular basis for a cleaning and exam.

RANT AND RAVE-I get SO MAD at these manufacturers who always try to fool us with the contents of their product. For example, instead of saying that a certain product has sugar, they change the name to something we are not familiar with such as “CORN SYRUP, DEXTROSE, SUCROSE, FRUCTOSE, GLUCOSE” plus about 60 other names that I found listed on the internet. In my opinion, sugar is almost as addictive as cocaine or heroin and it is now contained or hidden in about 70% of anything in a package. I found a new box of Morton’s salt in the grocery store the other day and when I turned it around to read the label, sugar was the 2 and ingredient! I found a sports drink the other day that said it was Vegan, Gluten-free, 100% juice, packed with vitamins, and ‘NO SUGAR
ADDED”. SOUNDS HEALTHY RIGHT??? But, when you read the label, it had 55 GRAMS OF SUGAR. That is equal to drinking about 5 cokes all at once. I think that is deceptive trade and our government should stop that immediately! I know-GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! PLEASE READ YOUR LABELS. If you don’t know what all those words are, then I wouldn’t buy them or drink them.