Did you know April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month? It’s important to stay up to date on your oral cancer screenings at DiGrazia Family Dentistry. When you come in every six months for your dental check-ups and cleanings, we will also perform an oral cancer screening. More than 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer each year in the United States, and it’s our goal to help minimize these diagnoses each year.
It’s important to be screened for oral cancers at your regular check-ups, but if you do notice the following, make an appointment with your dentist immediately:
- Patches inside the mouth or on the lips
- A sore on the mouth that won’t heal
- Bleeding in the mouth
- Loose teeth
- Pain or difficulty swallowing
- Lump in the neck
- Numbness of lower lip and chin
- Difficulty wearing dentures
- Persistent earache
The combination of high alcohol consumption with tobacco use is estimated to have caused the majority of oral cancer diagnoses in the United States.
Getting detected early is extremely important for an increased survival, without early diagnoses, the five-year survival rate is 20% in individuals where the cancer has spread.
At DiGrazia Family Dentistry, we include an oral cancer exam in your in regular exam check-up. If we do find a symptom that could be related to oral cancer, we’ll be with you every step of the way to find a solution to the problem. We are dedicated to making your visit relaxing, comfortable experience. DiGrazia Dentistry will help you and your family receive great dental care at an affordable price.
