Mouth Cancer Screening

Mouth (oral) cancer is a disease resulting from abnormal cell growth in the mouth, lips, tongue or throat. People over the age of 45 are most at risk. The good news is that oral cancer can be treated successfully if caught early enough. All dentists in Westport Dental Centre have the expert skills and training to detect early signs of the disease and can help you to understand your risks. Mouth cancer screening is a procedure we do routinely each time you have your regular dental check-up with us.

Treatment of oral cancer depends on the severity and location of the disease, as well as the age and health of the patient. If oral cancer is suspected a biopsy (surgical removal and microscopic examination) of the suspicious area may be taken, along with imaging tests such as x-rays, ultra-sounds, CT scans or MRIs. If oral cancer is confirmed it is usually treated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery.

To help prevent oral cancer see your dentist regularly and stop using tobacco products, limit alcohol consumption, limit sun exposure and use UV protective lip balms, eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Check your mouth regularly for signs and symptoms and report any changes in your mouth to your dentist right away.

There are certain signs and symptoms which should be checked by your dentist as soon as possible after you spot them. These include:

  • White or dark red patches in your mouth, or on your lips or tongue
  • Lumps or changes in the texture or colour of the mouth tissues
  • Bleeding or numbness in the mouth, sores or patches that do not heal
  • Difficulty swallowing, changes in taste or tongue sensation

The actual cause of oral cancer is not known but risk factors include:

  • Consumption of tobacco products (cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, etc.)
  • Heavy alcohol consumption (it is especially dangerous to combine smoking and alcohol)
  • Oral sex
  • Prolonged, repeated exposure of the lips to the sun
  • Poor diet
    Genetics and gender (more men develop the disease than women)
    A history of leukoplakia – a thick, whitish-colour patch inside the mouth

Invisalign

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Implants

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

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