Overview
Mouth cancer (Oral Cancer) is a critical condition which affects your cheek, lips, tongue and floor or roof of mouth. Most of the people generally ignore early signs of mouth cancer like non healing ulcer in mouth but don’t worry mouth cancer is curable if it is diagnosed at an early stage.
In this blog we will guide you about mouth / oral cancer, its early signs or symptoms, it is curable and how you can prevent mouth cancer.
What is Mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer also known as oral cancer is a condition in which cells grow abnormally inside your mouth and eventually form a lump, i.e. tumor. Sometimes it is also known as oral cavity cancer.
It can begin on your lips, tongue, cheeks, gums, floor or roof of mouth.
Mouth Cancer Symptoms
Early detection of mouth cancer helps in preventing development of further complication, below are the signs or symptoms of mouth cancer:
1. Mouth ulcer which doesn’t heal within 2 weeks
2. Persistent red or white patches inside mouth
3. A lump in your mouth or on your lips
4. Difficulty in chewing and swallowing
5. Persistent soreness in throat causes change in your voice
6. Bleeding or numbness in mouth
7. Earache and chronic bad breath
If you are having any of the above symptoms kindly visit the dentist near you for checkup.
Mouth Cancer Causes
No single cause is behind your mouth cancer, there are many factors which can increase chances of mouth cancer. Below are some of the causes of oral cancer:
1. Tobacco consumption (smoking cigarettes, bidis, cigars, or chewing tobacco)
2. Too much alcohol consumption
3. Excessive sun exposure (especially to your lips)
4. Poor oral hygiene habits like not proper brushing and flossing
5. Having family history of mouth cancer (Genetic)
6. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection
7. Continued injury from sharp tooth
8. Injury from ill fitted dentures
Can Mouth Cancer start with a simple mouth ulcer?
Most people asked, is it true a simple mouth ulcer will be cancerous?
Generally mouth ulcers are non cancerous and heal within 1-2 weeks.
But if these last for more than 2 weeks and are firm to touch or might not be painful in early stages and recurring in nature then you should consult your dentist, to diagnose whether it is cancerous or not.
Is Mouth Cancer curable?
Most patients get worried after they are diagnosed with oral cancer.
But there is good news that mouth cancer is curable if it is diagnosed at an early stage , chances of successful treatment increase. However, if you are diagnosed with advanced or high stages of mouth cancer then chances of curability are very low.
So if you have any symptoms or signs of mouth cancer please visit your dentist and consult and also make sure you have regular dental checkup as the saying goes “Prevention is better than cure.”
How Oral Cancer is diagnosed?
When you visit your dentist for examination then by any of the below test they will diagnose mouth cancer:
1. Through physical examination by looking inside your mouth and might feel around your mouth.
2. Biopsy: By gently scraping out some cells from the affected area to check whether these are cancerous or not.
3. Imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, or PET scans
4. Endoscopy ( flexible and thin tube equipped with light and camera) of throat to see if mouth cancer has spread out
These tests help the dentist to detect if mouth cancer occurs or not and also at what stage it has reached.
The stages for oral cavity cancer or mouth cancer are:
a) T1: Size of tumor in your mouth is 2 cm or less.
b) T2: Tumor size ranges between 2 cm to 4 cm.
c) T3: In this stage tumor size is more than 4 cm.
Mouth (Oral) Cancer Treatment
Your dentist can recommend mouth cancer treatment based on size, location of tumour by considering other factors with it like if it spread to other body parts and your age and as well as general health.
Oral Cancer Treatment options include:
1. Surgery to remove the cancerous tissue and cells.
2. Radiation Therapy: use strong radiation to kill cancerous cells or stop these from growing. It can also be recommended with other treatments.
3. Chemotherapy: use strong anti cancerous drugs to kill cancerous cells, it can be combined with radiation therapy or recommended after surgery to kill any remaining cell.
4. Targeted therapy: use drugs to kill the specific cancerous cells without harming the normal cells.
5. Immunotherapy: use medicine to help your immune system to kill the hidden cancerous cell.
Complications of Mouth Cancer
If oral cancer is not treated at early stages, it will lead to below complications:
a) Spread to other body parts
b) Change in facial figure
c) Advance stage cancer and these are not curable
d) Difficulty in chewing and swallowing
e) Speaking problems
How can you prevent developing Mouth Cancer?
Below are some of the tips to prevent developing oral cancer:
a) If you are a smoker or having tobacco chewing habits, then control it slowly and eventually stop these.
b) Don’t consume too much alcohol.
c) Maintain proper oral hygiene and eat balanced diet
d) If wearing ill fitted dentures visit your dentist to fix these.
e) See your dentist if a sharp tooth is causing injury continuously.
f) Protect yourself from too much sun exposure.
g) Get vaccinated for Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Mouth Cancer Treatment in Bhiwani at Triveni Dental
At Triveni Dental, we have advanced technology like CBCT, X-Ray and Biopsy and diagnosis of oral lesions also facilitated, so if searching for Oral Cancer Treatment in Bhiwani, visit our clinic.
Get oral cancer diagnosis at an early stage from the Best Oral Cancer Doctors in Bhwani.
Conclusion
Oral cancer is a serious condition so if you're diagnosed for it or having any symptoms of mouth cancer, consult your dentist to get the oral cavity cancer treatment. Getting treatment at an early stage will make oral cancer curable.
