April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Dentists are often the first medical professionals to detect and diagnose oral cancer. That’s why besides your bi-annual checkups, you should schedule an appointment anytime you experience abnormal oral symptoms. Drs. Navid Rahimpour DDS and Faranak Rahimpour DDS offer oral cancer screenings at Southern Cross Dental.
When you have strange symptoms in your mouth, especially if they don’t heal or they last over two weeks, you need to schedule an appointment ASAP. This is a serious indicator of an urgent medical problem. Make sure to take note of any of these symptoms:
Mouth sores or ulcers that refuse to heal or take longer than two weeks to heal, a strange discoloration of the gums, lumps or hard spots in the mouth, spots that bleed easily, and/or a lump on the outside of your neck that has been present for at least two weeks.
The symptoms for HPV-caused oropharyngeal cancer differ from other oral cancer symptoms. With this type of cancer, you might experience a hoarse or sore throat, a constant cough, problems swallowing, pain in one or both ears, and a lump on the neck.
The major risk factors of oral cancer are heavy tobacco and alcohol use. Other tobacco products, like chewing tobacco, are just as dangerous to your health. Another large risk is contracting the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus 16.
Do not wait to make an appointment when experiencing these symptoms. Your health is not worth the risk. Prevention and early detection are the best tools for fighting cancer.
Southern Cross Dental is located in Colorado Springs, CO. To schedule an appointment with Drs. Navid Rahimpour DDS or Faranak Rahimpour DDS, visit our website or call 719-471-1717.
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