Hello, I'm Dr. Priya Matthew at MVP Family Dental, and today I'm going to answer some questions about oral cancer.
What is oral cancer?
Oral cancer is a disease that occurs in the mouth. It can be on the lips, on your tongue, on the floor of the mouth, and it is basically a lesion that will not heal and usually needs to be removed.
What are the early signs of oral cancer that patients could look for?
Early signs of oral cancer include red or red lesions or sore spots that don't heal; they just stay there and won't go away.
What causes oral cancer?
Oral cancer can be caused by tobacco use, such as smoking and chewing tobacco. It can also be caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks.
What are the signs of oral cancer that we patients should look for?
Some signs of oral cancer that patients should look for include ulcerations that are not going away, white patches that aren't going away anywhere in the mouth. Other symptoms can include pain in the mouth where you don't know what is causing it and why it's happening but it keeps happening, or even numbness. Numbness can be another sign of oral cancer. Not always, but these are just some symptoms that could occur.
And where in the mouth would they most likely appear?
Most oral cancers appear on the tongue. After that, it's usually the floor of the mouth, like under your tongue, and it can also be on your cheeks near your gum line or on the gums on your lips. That's all oral cancer.
Can a lump be a sign?
Yes, a lump on your gums could be a sign of oral cancer. You would want to come in, and we would take a look. We usually check this at your hygiene appointments. We make sure there are no abnormal findings and can even do a brush biopsy and get it sent to a lab for you, or sometimes we will refer you to an oral surgeon to get it checked out.
What's the connection between HPV and oral cancer?
HPV is a virus, the herpes papillomavirus. If contracted, it can lead to a higher chance of developing oral cancer.
How is oral cancer diagnosed during a dental visit?
Oral cancer is diagnosed during a dental visit by the dentist checking your mouth like they normally would at a checkup appointment. If they see a lesion that seems to be out of the ordinary, we are trained and have learned pathology, so we can see when a lesion is a variation of normal or when it's not within the normal limits. We would be able to tell you if we need to get that one checked out, and we go from there.
What does an oral cancer screening involve?
An oral cancer screening involves a thorough check of your mouth, all the structures in it, including your tongue, your gums, your floor of the mouth, your lips, and some palpation. We feel for any kind of growths that shouldn't be there.
What are the current treatment options for oral cancer?
There are several treatment options, including radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. Hopefully, if it's caught earlier rather than later, which is why you want to come to your checkups, then we don't have to do many of those treatments.
If you want to make an appointment, call us at MVP Family Dental. Our phone number is (252) 616-9444. Regina will set you up for a new patient appointment.