Preventive Dentistry: Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cancer

Durango, CO

Preventive dentistry is concerned with helping patients reduce the chance of developing oral health concerns, such as oral cancer. By understanding the more common signs and symptoms of oral cancer, it makes it easier to know when a visit to the dentist for an oral cancer screening is needed.

The earlier oral cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat. Unfortunately, many of the early symptoms can go unnoticed. This causes the cancer to worsen before treatment is administered. The following are four of the more common oral cancer symptoms to be mindful of and check for as a part of preventive dentistry:

Mouth sore

Many experience mouth sores and it obviously does not mean that the individual has oral cancer. However, if a mouth sore that does not go away or improve over time, then that could be an indication that oral cancer is present. This is especially true if the mouth sore causes a fair amount of discomfort.

A mouth sore is not necessarily something to panic over. But, it could be an indication of oral cancer. Preventive dentistry suggests having the symptoms examined by a dentist.

Difficulty swallowing

Difficulty swallowing is a common symptom among patients with oral cancer. It is a real cause for concern if difficulty swallowing that cannot be explained exists. Difficulty swallowing is not the same thing as a sore throat. It can be helpful to know the differences between the two.

Whenever difficulty swallowing exists, especially if other oral cancer symptoms exist along with it, then it is encouraged to visit a preventive dentistry office as soon as possible.

Facial pain

Oral cancer can lead to a fair amount of face and neck pain. Most commonly, patients with oral cancer report feeling jaw discomfort, jaw swelling, teeth pain and discomfort and neck complications. If facial pain does not go away over the course of a week or two and other oral cancer symptoms are also present, then be sure to visit the dentist for treatment. This is to ensure the issue is properly diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.

Jaw complications

Along with jaw pain, other jaw complications often exist with oral cancer patients. Oral cancer can cause the jaw to become swollen. This can result in the improper fitting of artificial teeth, loose natural teeth or a malocclusion that did not previously exist. While in some instances the pain can be intolerable and cause the person to not function well during the day, some cases of jaw pain caused by oral cancer can be more subtle.

Anytime jaw complications exist and cannot be explained for any other reason, then a visit to a preventive dentistry office is encouraged.