{"id":610,"date":"2023-04-11T16:30:36","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T16:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sanmarcosdental.com\/blog\/?p=610"},"modified":"2023-05-16T16:30:47","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T16:30:47","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-oral-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sanmarcosdental.com\/blog\/what-you-should-know-about-oral-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Oral Cancer Awareness Month: What You Should Know About This Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019ve been to the dentist<\/a> for a checkup recently, you may have had your dentist perform a routine oral cancer screening. The process is fast and simple, but this exam could potentially be lifesaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, which is a time when dentists raise awareness about this deadly and all-too-common disease. In the spirit of this month, here\u2019s some useful information about oral cancer that can help you detect this condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What are the Risk Factors for Oral Cancer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with any form of cancer, there are many complicated variables that can increase your risk of developing the condition. Unfortunately there are some, like age and genetics, that you can\u2019t really do all that much about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are also some common risk factors that you can control. Substance use is a big one\u2014smoking and alcohol abuse can both dramatically increase your chances of oral cancer. If you\u2019re concerned about the condition, cutting back on them is a great place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oral cancer has also been connected to the sexually transmitted disease HPV. While most people who contract the disease will recover, in some people the virus lays dormant and causes complications down the line. Thankfully there\u2019s a vaccine for HPV, so you should make sure you\u2019re protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the Symptoms of Oral Cancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oral cancer can be really tough to self-diagnose because many of its distinguishing symptoms look like other, less serious conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary difference with oral cancer is that these symptoms won\u2019t fade over time. If you have any of the following symptoms for longer than a few weeks, you should talk to your dentist about a more thorough exam:<\/p>\n\n\n\n