Oral Cancer Awareness Month
April 17, 2020
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month.
Oral cancer can include cancer on your lips, gums, tongue, roof and floor of your mouth and the inner part of your checks. Early detection is important when it comes to oral cancer. While your mouth is checked for oral cancer during your dental checkup, you should also be conducting your own self-exams.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these are common signs and symptoms of oral cancer:
- A lip or mouth sore that doesn’t heal
- A white or reddish patch on the inside of your mouth
- Loose teeth
- A growth or lump inside your mouth
- Mouth pain
- Ear pain
- Difficult or painful swallowing
Now that you know the signs and symptoms, here are tips on conducting a self-exam:
- Feel for lumps or enlarged lymph nodes in both sides of the neck and the lower jaw
- Inspect and feel inside the lips and the front gums
- Look and feel the roof of your mouth
- Pull out your tongue and inspect every surface
- Pull the cheek out to see its inside surface and the back of the gums
If you experience any of these issues persistently or notice anything off in your self-exam, you should call Beall Dental, so that we can determine possible causes of these symptoms.