Cancer is a disease characterized by an abnormal growth and spread of malignant cells.\u00a0 It can set up home in any part of your body–some areas being more susceptible to it than others.\u00a0 While many types of cancer are often in the news–breast cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer for example–one that is often overlooked is oral cancer, but can be just as serious.\u00a0 Unfortunately, in the early stages, oral cancer is painless and therefore can go unnoticed.<\/p>\n
As with many cancers the main thing to remember about oral cancer is that it can be cured if caught early and treated.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, oral cancer has one of the highest cure rates of cancers!\u00a0 This is why we perform an oral cancer screening at every dental hygiene (cleaning) appointment.<\/p>\n
Dr. Donnelly is a member of the Board of Directors for the Jack T. Clark Foundation.\u00a0 Their mission is to improve the public’s oral health by promoting early detection and prevention of oral cancer in conjunction with the education of patients and healthcare providers.\u00a0 Oral cancer strikes an estimated 35,000 people annually in the United States.\u00a0 A person dies from oral cancer in the U.S. once every hour of every day.\u00a0 When detected early, the survival rate of oral cancer is 80-90%.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the majority of cases are detected as late stage cancer, and the survival rate is currently only 45%.<\/p>\n
While everyone should be concerned, smokers and heavy drinkers have the highest incidence of oral cancer.\u00a0 Smokeless tobacco users also have a significantly higher risk.\u00a0 The best way to reduce your risk is to stop these harmful habits.<\/p>\n
Everyone is different, but there are some common warning signs and symptoms of oral cancer.\u00a0 If you notice any of the following please contact your dentist for a screening immediately:<\/p>\n
* A sore on your gums, lips, tongue or inside your cheek that doesn’t heal within two to three weeks.<\/p>\n
* White, scaly patches inside your mouth or on your lips.\u00a0 The patch may have a “leathery” appearance.<\/p>\n
* Any unusual swelling or lump in your mouth, neck, tongue or lips.<\/p>\n
* An unexplained numbness or pain in your mouth or throat.<\/p>\n
* Repeated oral bleeding with no apparent cause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cancer is a disease characterized by an abnormal growth and spread of malignant cells.\u00a0 It can set up home in any part of your body–some areas being more susceptible to it than others.\u00a0 While many types of cancer are often in the news–breast cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer for example–one that is often overlooked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n