Oral Cancer 101

In this article, you'll learn what oral cancer is and how to protect yourself from it.

Who Does Oral Cancer Affect?

Approximately 11 in 100,000 people will develop some type of mouth cancer in their lifetime. Women are less likely to develop oral cancer than men; black people are less likely to develop it than white people.

What Parts of the Body Does Oral Cancer Affect? 

Oral cancer affects the oropharynx, including the base of the tongue, the rear of the roof of the mouth, or soft palate, and the back of the throat; it also affects the oral cavity, which includes:

1. Your gums
2. Your lips
3. Your inner cheek lining
4. The area directly behind your third molars, or wisdom teeth
5. The front area of the roof of the mouth, or hard palate
6. The area under the tongue, or the floor of the mouth
7. The front two-thirds of the tongue

What Activities Raise the Risk of Developing Mouth Cancers? 

Approximately three-quarters of people who develop mouth cancers habitually engage in the following activities:

1. Smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes (including hookahs, shush and other water pipes) or using smokeless tobacco products like snuff, dip and chew
2. Drinking alcohol, particularly to excess
3. Spending excessive time under direct sunlight without proper lip protection
4. Having HPV, or the human papillomavirus
5. Having a family history of mouth cancers

What Are Some Common Symptoms and Signs of Mouth Cancers?

If you have any of the following symptoms, contact us at Dental One Associates of Georgia right away to schedule an oral cancer screening in Georgia.

1. Lip or inner mouth sores that easily bleed and won’t heal after a couple of weeks
2. Crusty spots or rough areas on your gums, lips or inside your mouth
3. Spots in your mouth that inexplicably bleed
4. Inexplicable tenderness, numbness or pain in your mouth or on your neck or face
5. Difficulty when you chew, swallow, speak or otherwise move your tongue or jaw
6. Unintentionally losing weight
7. Chronic halitosis, or bad breath
8. Earache

What Are the Stages of Mouth Cancer?

Mouth cancers progress through several stages, each successively more severe and harder to treat. Each stage describes the cancer’s specific location in the body, whether it’s penetrated the surface of the area where it’s appeared and whether it’s grown. Staging information helps healthcare to determine the best course of treatment to recommend to a patient and predict the patient’s prognosis for recovery.

If you are diagnosed with oral cancer, one of the first things your dentist will do is perform tests to determine its stage. The dentist may also recommend other tests to help determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

What Can You Do to Help Prevent Developing Mouth Cancer?

Oral cancers are largely preventable, particularly with active participation on your part. Here are some tips for helping to prevent yourself from developing mouth cancer:

1. Quit smoking or cut back severely; the same applies if you use chew or water pipes or other smokeless tobacco products. If you don’t smoke or use smokeless tobacco products, don’t start.
2. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation, or, even better, quit drinking alcohol altogether. Again, if you don’t yet drink alcohol, don’t start.
3. Get tested and vaccinated for HPV (human papillomavirus.)
4. Limit your time under direct sun exposure and, when you are out under the sun, use sunscreen on your lips and face that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays.
5. Make sure your diet is healthy and well-rounded.
6. Get regular checkups from your dentist in Georgia, and make sure your dentist includes oral cancer screenings as part of it. If you’re between 20 and 40 years old, you should have an oral cancer screening every few years; if you’re over 40, you should have one every year.

How Can You Detect Possible Mouth Cancer?

Early detection of oral cancer leads to early treatment, which leads to more effective treatment. You can help catch oral cancer early and prevent it from growing or spreading by looking for a few key signs and notifying your dentist in Georgia immediately if you notice any of them. To do this, perform the following self-examination of your mouth, neck and throat monthly:

1. Feel your lips, the roof of your mouth and the front of your gums.
2. Feel your neck for enlarged lymph nodes or lumps; then, do the same for under your lower jaw.
3. With a mirror and a bright light, examine the inside of your mouth.
4. Tilt back your head to examine the roof of your mouth.
5. Pull out your cheeks to examine inside your mouth, including your back gums and the inner lining of your cheeks.
6. Pull out your tongue to examine the top, sides and bottom. Gently push it back to let you examine the floor of your mouth.

 Any other unusual changes you notice besides these you should also report to your dentist.

How Are Oral Cancers Treated?

There are three primary treatment methods for oral cancers (listed in no particular order:)

1. Surgery
2. Radiation therapy
3. Chemotherapy

Prior to recommending a particular course of treatment, your dentist will consider a host of factors, including what type of oral cancer you have and whether it’s spread and/or grown. Other factors your dentist will take into account in devising your recommended treatment include your general health, medical history, age and any other treatments you’re currently receiving.

Discuss with your dentist the purpose of each treatment you’re receiving along with its potential side effects. Ask how you can best manage those side effects.