{"id":30,"date":"2019-04-21T21:34:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-21T21:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=30"},"modified":"2019-04-21T21:34:10","modified_gmt":"2019-04-21T21:34:10","slug":"worried-about-oral-cancer-your-dentist-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/21\/worried-about-oral-cancer-your-dentist-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Worried About Oral Cancer? Your Dentist Can Help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"oral<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Oral cancer afflicts hundreds\nof thousands of Americans. As with many forms of cancer, early detection is\ncrucial for obtaining a favorable treatment outcome. Your dentist<\/a>\ncan help by performing a complete examination of your mouth, lips, face, and\nthroat. In fact, dentists are often the first healthcare professionals to\nsuspect the presence of this serious but treatable health condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Your Dentist Can Do to Help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people mistakenly\nbelieve that dentists only concern themselves with cavities and braces. In\nreality, they\u2019re experts on every aspect of oral health, including the early\ndetection of many forms of cancer. This is one reason why a standard dental\nvisit begins with a close visual exam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your dentist notices cause\nfor concern, then he or she may remove a small amount of tissue from the\naffected area for the purpose of a biopsy. If cancer is detected, then\ntreatment may take one or all of the following forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Surgery: <\/strong>this\ninvolves excising the cancer from the body entirely. In many cases this is the\nonly treatment needed to resolve the problem over the long term. <\/li>
  2. Radiation: <\/strong>this\nmethod uses small amounts of highly targeted radiation to destroy cancer cells.<\/li>
  3. Chemotherapy:<\/strong>\nan oncologist (cancer specialist)  administers\nanti-cancer drugs that attack tumors both directly and indirectly. The type of\nmedication used will depend on the form of cancer present.<\/li>
  4. Immunotherapy: <\/strong>this\napproach teaches the patient\u2019s immune system to recognize and attack the\ndisease. It\u2019s considered the state-of-the-art in modern cancer treatment.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Self-Care Steps You Can Take on Your Own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some steps you can\ntake in between dental visits to safeguard yourself against oral cancer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n