Dr. Katherine Bolterman
Apr 5, 20181 min
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Why is awareness so important? It is estimated that over 50,000 people will be diagnosed with oral, throat, tonsil, lip or tongue cancer in 2018. Everyone is at risk for lip cancer just by being in the UV sunlight.
You are at higher risk of these cancers if you:
Smoke or use smokeless tobacco products
Consume heavy amounts of alcohol (2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women)
Are male, as men are 2 times more likely to get cancer
Have the HPV virus (this tends to be a larger concern with younger people regardless if they smoke or not)
Treatments for these cancers are life changing. Many times large portions of the tongue, or other tissues, need to be removed. The quality of life becomes poor.
Don’t let this happen to you. Check with a dentist if you have any questions. Dentists are all on the lookout for signs of oral cancer when they do exams. If you have a sore that’s not healing, be sure to let your dentist or medical doctor know.
Routine dental exams are your best chance to catch Oral Cancer early and be able to treat it early.
Call to schedule your appointment today!
More facts and tips about Oral Cancer can be found on the ADA site MouthHealthy.org.