{"id":1004,"date":"2017-09-15T09:13:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T14:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2017-09-15T11:35:38","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T16:35:38","slug":"oral-cancer-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/oral-cancer-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Worried About Oral Cancer? Here\u2019s What to Look Out For"},"content":{"rendered":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/AdobeStock_84416799.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/AdobeStock_84416799-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"older woman on a sunlit porch\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/AdobeStock_84416799-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/AdobeStock_84416799-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/AdobeStock_84416799.jpeg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Oral cancer &#8212; maybe it\u2019s not something you think about very often, but regular screenings for the disease are absolutely vital for public health. Incidences of mouth cancer are increasing, and not just in older patients. More and more young, otherwise healthy people are undergoing oral cancer treatment every year. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what does oral cancer look like? And what can you do to fight the disease? Your oral surgeon has the answers in this week\u2019s blog post. <\/span>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Are the Symptoms of Oral Cancer?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the early stages of oral cancer, you may mistake your symptoms for something else. But if your symptoms last, make sure you visit your doctor for an oral cancer screening as soon as possible. Early detection helps boost the odds of successful treatment, says the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/oralcancerfoundation.org\/cdc\/early-detection-diagnosis-staging\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oral Cancer Foundation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the most common warning signs of oral cancer include:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A persistent lesion or sore in the mouth that does not heal after two weeks &#8212; the most common sign of oral cancer<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chronic pain in the mouth<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discoloration or a white or red patch in the mouth<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lump or bump in the mouth that does not go away<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sore throat, change in the tone of voice, or the sensation that something is caught in your throat<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numbness anywhere in the mouth<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A change in symmetry inside the mouth or in the face<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swelling<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sudden weight loss<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oral Cancer Risk Factors<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Risk factors for oral cancer include:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tobacco use <\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavy alcohol consumption (especially combined with tobacco)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Significant UV exposure<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Family history of cancer<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human papillomavirus (HPV)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older age (although the average age of diagnosis is lowering with the spread of HPV)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Happens In an Oral Cancer Assessment?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a good idea to get an oral cancer assessment every year &#8212; especially if you are at a higher risk of the disease. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An oral cancer screening doesn\u2019t take long, and it can be completed at the same time as a general checkup and cleaning at your dentist\u2019s office. Your oral surgeon can also perform an oral cancer screening. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the exam, you and the doctor will discuss your oral health and any changes you may have noticed lately. The screening itself is a visual and tactile examination. Your doctor is looking for lesions, lumps, bumps, and any other irregularities that could indicate oral cancer. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a suspicious area is found during an oral cancer screening, your doctor will advise you on next steps. You may need a biopsy of the tissue, or a simple follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks to see if the area has improved. <\/span>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About the Author(s)<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/meet-the-doctors.html\"><b>Dr. Steve L. Koo and Dr. Thomas M. Weil<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are the trusted source of oral and maxillofacial surgery services for the greater Houston area. They are committed to lowering rates of oral cancer deaths in Texas through patient education and frequent screenings. To learn more about oral cancer or to schedule an assessment of your own, you are invited to contact Point Point Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at (713) 783-5560.<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oral cancer &#8212; maybe it\u2019s not something you think about very often, but regular screenings for the disease are absolutely vital for public health. Incidences of mouth cancer are increasing, and not just in older patients. More and more young, otherwise healthy people are undergoing oral cancer treatment every year. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/oral-cancer-2\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other-topics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1007,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions\/1007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pineypointoms.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}