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If you want to maintain healthy teeth, it’s vital to brush them twice a day, floss, and see a dentist regularly. However, it’s also vital that you get oral cancer screenings in Calgary during a checkup with a dentist. Oral cancer can be fatal if not caught early, and the best way for that to happen is to visit Oasis Dental every six months.

What is Oral Cancer?

Oral cancer is not just one disease. There are six identified cancers of the mouth, including:

• The floor of the mouth
• Gum
• Hard palate
• Inner cheek or buccal mucosa
• Tongue
• Lip

Our dentists in Calgary screen for cancer because the quicker treatment can begin, the faster doctors can cure it. An oral cancer screening near you involves visually inspecting the soft tissues of the mouth, especially around the lips, cheeks, and tongue.

They also put gloves on to feel the tissues, looking for hard lumps, growths under the tongue, along the cheeks, lips, and outside of the neck and throat. If they find growths or lumps, they may do a biopsy in their office or recommend you to an oncologist.

Symptoms of Oral Cancers

You can do your part at home by being aware of cancer symptoms so that you can alert your dentist to some of the signs you may be having. They include:

• Sores, irritations, thick patches, or lumps on the mouth, lips, or throat
• White or red sores in your mouth
• Difficulty swallowing, a sore throat, or the feeling of something caught in your throat
• Swelling of the jaw making it difficult to put in dentures
• Numbness in your mouth or tongue
• Pain around the ear

Home Self-Exam

Visually look in your mouth for swelling, changes of color, lumps, and sores that are not healing. Gently press along your throat and neck, also looking for changes in skin color, moles that are changing, or lumps along your neck.

If you find anything, make an appointment with our dentists at Oasis Dental so that they can examine it more closely and make a diagnosis.