{"id":30,"date":"2014-06-18T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-18T15:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carydentalrejuvenation.com\/blog\/?p=30"},"modified":"2026-03-25T20:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:35:14","slug":"protecting-yourself-against-oral-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carydentalrejuvenation.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/18\/protecting-yourself-against-oral-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Yourself Against Oral Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If there were a quick and painless way to identify\npre-cancerous cells in the mouth of someone you loved, would you want them to\ntry it? What if that person were you? The truth is, as uncomfortable as it may\nbe to even think of the word \u201ccancer,\u201d thinking about it,<em>and thus detecting\nit early<\/em>, is the key to eradicating it. That\u2019s why, if you haven\u2019t been to\nthe dentist in a while, you should schedule a visit. The oral exam that\naccompanies your cleaning is just one of the many things you can do to reduce\nyour risk from this deadly form of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>So, lets take a quick look at a few of the risk factors and\nsymptoms and consider a few options you may have to help reduce risk. Keep in\nmind that no list is exhaustive, and to always share with your health care providers\nyour concerns and strategies regarding your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Some risks:<\/strong><br>\nPassing certain age thresholds and engaging in certain lifestyle habits can\nplace you at increased risk for oral cancer. Likewise, men tend to have higher\nrates of oral cancers than do women. Here is the short list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Patients\n     age 40 and older (95% of all oral cancer cases)<\/li><li>Patients\n     age 18-39 who use tobacco, are heavy drinkers, or may have a previously\n     diagnosed oral HPV 16\/18 infection.<\/li><li>Patients\n     age 65 and older with the lifestyle risk factors described above<\/li><li>And,\n     any patient with a history of oral cancer<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Some warning signs:<\/strong><br>\nIf you experience any of the below symptoms lasting more than 7-10 days, please\nseek the advice of your doctor. Also, keep in mind that aside from an obviously\nsore throat, the below symptoms can present themselves&nbsp;<em>in the absence\nof pain<\/em>. Look out for changes that can be detected on the lips, inside the\ncheeks, palate, and gum tissue surrounding your teeth and tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Reddish\n     patches (erythroplasia) or whitish patches (leukoplakia) in the mouth<\/li><li>A sore\n     that fails to heal and bleeds easily<\/li><li>A lump\n     or thickening on the skin lining the inside of the mouth<\/li><li>Chronic\n     sore throat or hoarseness<\/li><li>Difficulty\n     in chewing or swallowing<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reducing risk:<\/strong><br>\nIf you do not visit the dentist regularly, you are putting yourself at risk for\nmissing your chance at early detection. Currently only half of all patients\ndiagnosed with oral cancer survive more than five years \u2013 a statistic driven by\nlate diagnosis \u2013 so please visit your dentist and get an oral exam at least\nonce a year. If you are considered \u201chigh risk,\u201d you should be receiving an oral\nexam at least every six months, if not more frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is a short list of healthy habits you can start doing\nnow, which may reduce your risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Avoid\n     all tobacco products<\/li><li>Avoid\n     or reduce your consumption of alcohol<\/li><li>Consume\n     more fruits and vegetables (good for everything, of course.)<\/li><li>Avoid\n     excessive sun exposure that can result in cancer of the lip<\/li><li>Avoid\n     exposure to environmental hazards (wood dust, formaldehyde, printing\n     chemicals)<\/li><li>Conduct\n     a self-exam monthly so you can catch any of the symptoms listed above. Use\n     a small hand-held mirror so you can see the back of your mouth and tongue<\/li><li>Consider\n     coffee. While the jury is still out, some research suggests&nbsp;coffee\n     may help protect the mouth from oral cancer.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral cancer is serious business. Yet, it&nbsp;<em>can<\/em>&nbsp;be\nmanaged when caught early. So, do the right thing and visit your dentist\nregularly, and&nbsp;<em>get that screening.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If there were a quick and painless way to identify pre-cancerous cells in the mouth of someone you loved, would you want them to try it? What if that person were you? The truth is, as uncomfortable as it may be to even think of the word \u201ccancer,\u201d thinking about it,and thus detecting it early, is the key to eradicating it. That\u2019s why, if you haven\u2019t been to the dentist in a while, you should schedule a visit. The oral exam that accompanies your cleaning is just one of the many things you can do to reduce your risk from this deadly form of cancer. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carydentalrejuvenation.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/18\/protecting-yourself-against-oral-cancer\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Protection from Oral Cancer Cary, NC | Cary Dental Rejuvenation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Oral cancer is a potentially life-threatening problem, which is why it&#039;s important to take the proper steps to protect yourself from it.\" 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