Your oral health is the gateway to your overall health because if you don’t keep your oral hygiene in good condition, your mouth bacteria can become harmful to cause oral infections like tooth decay and gum disease to affect your general health. You might not know, but your oral health provides clues about your general health, and the problems in your mouth can cause adverse effects on your body.
Cancer awareness is learning about this dreadful condition that affects any part of the body, including the oral cavity. Cancer treatment delivers excellent outcomes when the disease is detected early and treated with treatments like surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for four months or more to ensure it doesn’t spread to cause fatalities.
Oral cancer awareness month 2022 has already gone past in April this year when dentists, in conjunction with surgeons and other medical professionals, highlighted the dangers of oral cancer to keep everyone aware of the progress made by the medical fraternity to fight this dreadful disease.
Oral cancer indicates cancer of the mouth. Pharyngeal cancer indicates cancer of the pharynx or at the rear of your throat. Dental professionals are the first line in diagnosing oral and pharyngeal cancer and require you to discuss with your dentist about this condition during your routine checkups.
Oral cancer is treatable but causes unnecessary fatalities because of delayed diagnosis. Therefore many professional organizations have come together to spread information about prevention, early diagnosis, and seeking treatment.
Many causes contribute to the making doctors and surgeons strive to understand the origins of this disease. The Mayo Clinic mentions that some behaviors increase your risks of contracting oral and pharyngeal cancers. They are tobacco in any form, alcohol consumption excessively, sunlight exposure, diet, and the HPV 16 virus. Age and gender also contribute to oral cancer, with men over 40 affected by this condition more than women.
Instead of seeking oral cancer treatment after contracting this disease, you find it better to prevent its development by quitting the usage of tobacco in any form, consuming alcohol moderately, limiting exposure to sunlight, and eating plenty of foods and vegetables. In addition, brushing and flossing regularly to help maintain a healthy immune system are also essential, besides dental visits at half-yearly intervals.
Early detection of oral cancer during routine exams by your dentist undoubtedly helps, but you can also conduct self-checks looking for signs and symptoms such as challenges chewing, swallowing or difficulty moving your jaw and tongue, numbness in the tongue or hearing loss, sore lumps or white or red patches in your mouth on the mucosal membrane.
Cancers are not insignificant infections but are severe. Therefore early detection is essential to receive excellent outcomes from the therapy offered by a team of medical professionals. The month of April prioritizes the detection and prevention of oral cancer for you.
As mentioned earlier, the importance of oral health is better not underestimated because your mouth is the point of entry to your digestive and respiratory tracts. Some harmful mouth bacteria have the potential to cause infections in your entire body, making you susceptible to conditions like cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.
Research indicates that your mouth bacteria and the inflammation associated with severe periodontitis play a role in some diseases. In addition, some conditions like diabetes and HIV/AIDS lower the resistance of your body to infections making oral health issues severe.
Oral health can contribute to many diseases, including endocarditis, pneumonia, pregnancy and birth complications, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimer’s. Other conditions associated with oral health include eating disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, cancers, and immune system disorders causing Sjorgren’s syndrome. Therefore you must share information about the medications you take and changes to your overall health if you have been ill or suffer from chronic conditions.
Practicing excellent dental hygiene every day is optimal for protecting your oral health. It includes brushing twice daily, flossing once, using antibacterial mouthwash to eliminate food particles remaining in the mouth, eating a healthy diet by limiting sugary foods and beverages, replacing your toothbrush every quarterly, quitting tobacco use, and scheduling half-yearly dental checkups and cleanings with dentists without exceptions.
If you did not get an opportunity to participate in oral cancer awareness month in April 2022, you have another opening in six months if you keep in regular touch with the Kensington Dental Clinic participants in the program. Become aware of oral health and cancer by joining this dental practice to care for your oral health.