AVOID ORAL CANCER

Q: What’s the best way to avoid oral cancer?

A: The first step in avoiding oral cancer is to eliminate from your lifestyle well-known risk factors like tobacco and alcohol. Regarding tobacco, it’s not just smoking that’s a problem. Chewing tobacco is just as dangerous to your oral health. The risk of cancer is greater in a person who both smokes and drinks than in a person who does just one or the other. And regular visits to your dentist are also important. As with any form of cancer, early detection is vital to successful treatment. Stay alert for signs of cancerous or pre-cancerous developments.

Those would include:
• A sore that just won’t heal or bleeds easily.
• Difficulty chewing, speaking, swallowing or moving the tongue or jaw.
• A lump or any thickening in the cheek or tongue.
• Any color changes in the tissue of your mouth, and specifically, a white or red patch anywhere in the mouth.
Early detection of any lesion is so important. That’s why we do head and neck cancer exams at EVERY check-up appointment.

If you, your family, or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,
www.drshooverandyanda.com
39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360.