It’s important to know that oral cancer is fairly common in the US. In 2017, it was estimated that over 42,000 individuals will be diagnosed, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. The best thing you can do to detect oral cancer is to have a screening completed, but you should still be aware of the signs that are linked to oral cancer.

Signs of oral cancer include:

Patches of red or white in your mouth
Unexpected shifts of your teeth
Throat or mouth irritation that does not go away
Pain in your mouth, lips or tongue
Difficulty talking, eating or chewing

The ADA states that if symptoms do not disappear within 2 weeks, make sure to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Healthy gums are important to the health of your mouth and your general health. If you would like to keep your gums in good shape, be sure to schedule an appointment today.

The post Oral Cancer | Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cancer Pt. 2 appeared first on Periodontal Associates of Memphis.

To spot signs of oral cancer, the two common forms of screening include OralCDx and Vizilite Plus. OralCDx uses a brushing technique that detects abnormal cells in your mouth that have the risk of developing into cancer. Vizilite Plus operates by detecting any soft tissues in your mouth that can become oral cancer. These two screening options are widely available and are quick to complete.

If you have not had an oral cancer screening, we recommend you visit your dentist and talk to them about screening options. As we stated above, oral cancer is the most curable form of cancer when detected early enough.

Activities that can increase your risk of oral cancer are things such as tobacco use or alcohol, but they are not the only ones. Be sure to watch for our next blog where we will discuss some of the other warning signs of oral cancer.

Oral cancer can affect every area of your mouth, including your gums. There have been numerous studies on the association between periodontal health and your risk of cancer, you can find some of those studies here. If you are concerned about the health of your gums or show signs of periodontal disease, be sure to contact us at our office in Memphis, TN today!

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Here’s a crucial message for teens: Oral sex increases the risk of oral cancer and carries many of the same risks as sexual intercourse, including human papilloma virus, or HPV.  And HPV may now be overtaking tobacco as the leading cause of oral cancers in America in people under age 50.

“Adolescents don’t think oral sex is something to worry about,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “They view it as a way to have intimacy without having ‘sex.’”

Here are some interesting statistics:

• “Some 36 percent of teens ages 15-17 admit to having had oral sex.  These numbers increase among teens and young adults ages 15-24.”
• “About 75 percent of teens ages 15-17 who have had intercourse have also had oral sex, while 13 percent of teens ages 15-17 who have never had intercourse have admitted to engaging in oral sex.”
• “Nearly 25 percent of 10th graders in an upper middle class school district in New England reported having multiple oral sex partners within the last year.  The females reported having three to four partners.”

While tobacco was the prime cause of oral cancer in the past, recent studies have attributed the steady increase of the disease to the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV are common viruses that cause warts. There are approximately 130 versions of HPV but only nine cause cancers, and the HPV16 version causes almost half of the oral cancers in the U.S.

Tobacco is no longer the only bad guy,  HPV16 is increasing in incidence as the causative etiology, and if it continues on this trend line, it will replace tobacco as the primary cause of oral cancers.

The latest data suggest that 64% of oropharynx cancers – growing in the middle part of the throat – in the United States are caused by HPV, which is more than tobacco causes, said Maura Gillison of Ohio State University. And as the number of partners on whom you have performed oral sex goes up, the risk of oropharnyx cancer goes up.

About 37,000 people per year receive a diagnosis of oral cancer, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.

The media heavily influences the way kids act, feel and respond to sexually related issues. The messages communicated by the media are that sex outside of marriage is okay (and expected!), oral sex is not as big a deal as intercourse, and exploring multiple sexual partners and experiences should be encouraged. And these messages are becoming more common and explicit in relation to oral sex.

Another factor is the varied perceptions that teens have about oral sex.  A study in Seventeen magazine revealed that half of all teens ages 15-17 do not believe that oral sex is ‘sex.’ And why should we expect anything different? Teens are bombarded with the message that it’s okay, yet where are the voices telling them otherwise?

Parents should have honest conversations with their teenagers about oral sex. Tell them that the consequences of HPV may not happen right away, and while the risks may not be huge, they are significant. Potential long-term outcomes of cancer are quite concerning.

Dentists are usually the first to notice subtle signs and symptoms of oral cancer in a simple three to five minute visual and tactile exam. It is extremely important that the dental community continues to be involved in oral cancer screenings.

Of the 37,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year in the U.S., 25% of those people will die of the disease. Only 57% of all diagnosed oral cancer patients will be alive five years after their diagnosis.  Approximately 100 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with oral cancer every day, and one person will die every hour from it.  In short, oral sex increases the risk of oral cancer.

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Our bodies are changing all the time as we age, going from infant and toddler to active senior still in the game. So changes to various body parts are routine. We may see a new mole, but not recognize it as a potential danger sign of a simple skin cancer. Men may visit the bathroom 30 times a day due to an enlarged prostate gland and either choose to live with it or simply accept frequent urination as part of the aging process.  Living with changes, or ignoring change, is especially true of oral cancers – cancer of tongue, lips, checks, esophagus, larynx and other body bits around your mouth.  As with all cancers, the earlier a cancer is detected and treatment undertaken, the better the outcomes. This is especially true of tongue cancer and other oral cancers, yet how often do we examine ourselves for early signs of oral cancer?

You’re the one most familiar with your body and the changes and phases it goes through. You’re also in the best position to discover changes that may indicate a form of oral cancer is present since you spend more time looking at your mouth than anyone else.  So, what to look for? Well, oncologists – medical doctors who specialize in the prevention and treatment of cancer, have some suggestions. These tips for self examination don’t take long, they don’t hurt, you can do them yourself and, in the process, make yourself a strong advocate for your own good health.

Here are seven simple self-examine steps you can take to help identify oral cancers in their earliest stages, so you can get yourself into a treatment program NOW!

1. Tongue and floor of the mouth

• Look in a mirror and stick out your tongue.

• Examine the upper surface of the tongue for any unusual lumps or obvious changes in color. Dark blotches, for example, on the upper surface of the tongue should be examined.

• Pull the tongue forward and examine the sides for lumps, bumps, masses and, again, obvious changes in skin color or texture. If you discover any obvious swelling, see a doctor. Oral cancers are often painless, making them difficult to diagnosis based on pain. But you can see oral cancer, in many instances, early enough to solve the problem as an out patient. How cool is that?!

• Examine the underside of your tongue by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Same procedure. See any unusual bumps, lumps, swelling or changes in skin color.

• Your tongue should have a uniform texture and uniform color. Glide you finger along the underside of your tongue to feel for unseen bumps. Any deviation should be examined by your family doctor first to see if a visit to an oncologist is step #2.

2. Examine the roof of your mouth

The roof of the mouth is easy to examine with your eyes and with your fingers. Tilt your head back as you stand in front of a mirror. Position yourself so you get a good view of the entire upper mouth.

Perform a visual exam for discoloration. Then gently slide your finger over the roof of your mouth feeling for any kind of protrusion. (Pizza blisters don’t count.) If you feel anything out of the ordinary, report to your doctor stat!

3. Check your cheeks

Visually inspect your cheeks. Extend them (be gentle) to look for red, white or dark-colored patches.  Next, place your forefinger on the interior check and your thumb on the outer cheek. Gently squeeze as you rotate you fingers across the entire cheek. This is the best way to detect lumps, bumps or swelling – through the sense of touch. Cheek cancer can often be felt before there are any visible symptoms.

4. Head and Neck

Stand with your head straight up in front of a mirror.  Usually, your face is uniform, i.e., has the same shape on both sides. However, a lump, bump or other protrusion on one side of the face is a definite signal to see your doctor. It may be nothing, it may be something. In either case, it’s worth checking out and a visit to your family doctor is the best place to start when you first detect unevenness within your facial structure.

5. Lips

The lips are highly sensitive to sunlight and lip cancer is one possible (and unfortunate) result. Open your mouth and examine both the outer and inner lip for changes in color or texture.  Gently extend you lips to get the best view of the interior lip area. (You may have to do a little twisting to get the view you want. If so, use a hand mirror to get a good look at the interior lip surface.) Discoloration and protrusions are sometimes early signs of lip cancer.  However, you accidently bite your lip, the lips are constantly moving as you talk, you moisten your lips with your tongue and so on, so expect to see changes. Even the seasons change the exterior portion of the lip so dried lips in the middle of winter aren’t a sign of cancer, though you may want to get some chap stick to keep lips moist.

6. Neck Area

This is where the esophagus and larynx are located, but we can’t see that far down our own throats, even if we stand on our heads. (Please don’t try this at home.)  However, using a feather-light touch, gently slide you fingers along the sides and front of your neck feeling for any lumps that you discover on one side of your neck but not the other. Use your finger tips to gently glide over the skin of your neck feeling for anything out of the ordinary.  Next, apply a small amount of pressure as you slide your fingers over the skin. This time note any tenderness, soreness of swelling. So, first a gentle exam, and then add a little pressure to identify any soreness or swelling.

7. A Persistent Cough

You can feel it and hear it – a cough that just doesn’t go away. Often, you chalk it up to a cold, but you don’t have any symptoms of a cold. Just that cough.  Smokers (28% of Americans still smoke despite all the solid evidence that smoking is bad for just about every part of your body) may experience “smoker’s” cough that comes and goes. This often occurs when the upper portion of the lungs become irritated.

It also occurs when the airway to the lungs becomes irritated and inflamed. Most smokers just live with it, though for many, not as long.  Quitting, even for a couple of days, will sometimes clear up a case of smoker’s cough but if you still have a scratchy sore throat even though you’ve given up smoking until your throat feels better, make an appointment to see your doctor.

There are some other things you can do to ensure early detection of mouth cancers beside kicking butt. Ask your dentist to perform an examine each time you’re in for a cleaning. Some dental professionals perform this examine routinely. All will be happy to give your mouth and throat a good look if you ask.

The post 7 Self Examination Tips To Detect Signs Of Oral Cancer appeared first on Periodontal Associates of Memphis.

Oral Cancer is not just an older man’s disease.

Early Detection Saves Lives

1. Oral Cancer Attached THREE times as many people as cervical cancer.
2. ONE American dies of oral cancer every hour of every day.
3. An estimated 33% or oral cancer victims are females.
4. 2/3rds of the time oral cancer is detected, it is late stages.

The Bad News – When Discovered in Late Stages, the 5 year survival rate is only 22%

The Good News – When discovered in early stages, the survival rate leaps to 80%.

Recent research has shown a strong link between oral cancer and the Human papillomavirus (pap-ah-LO-mah-VYE-rus)(HPV) (HPV-16 and HPV-18).

The identafi 3000 ultra is a special light that shines 3 different colors of light into the oral cavity. These lights are safe. The light causes the tissue to flouresce from the surface of the epithelium to the basement membrane (where pre-malignant changes normally start) to the stroma beneath. The allows the clinician to view different flourescent signatures to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.

Abnormal tissue typically appears as as irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise normal flourescent pattern of surrounding healthy tissue.

Drs. Godat and Craddock offer this additional cancer screening.

www. PerioMem.com

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