Are You Ready For Mouth Cancer Awareness Month?

November is Mouth Cancer Awareness Month in the UK, which means that here at AP Smilecare we’re encouraging you to take extra care of your oral health, especially in the run up to Christmas – notorious for sweets and sticky things! If you’ve not heard of Mouth Cancer Awareness Month before, it’s fairly self-explanatory; it’s a British charity campaign which aims to help cut down on diagnosed cases of mouth cancer in the UK through education of risks, signs and symptoms.

Mouth Cancer Awareness Month Has You In Mind

Throughout the full 30 days in November, one of the key goals of the campaign is – naturally – to make people more aware of the risks, in an effort to prevent cases of mouth cancer entirely. However, one of the other aims of Mouth Cancer Awareness Month is to get more mouth cancers diagnosed at an early stage; like many diseases, early diagnosis is one of the critical factors in helping survival rates of mouth cancer.

You may not think that mouth cancer is such a major problem for Britain’s population, but it’s more so than most people think! In the last year in the UK, more than 7000 people were recently diagnosed with mouth cancer, and it takes the lives of more than 2000 people each year. That’s, on average, a few more hundred a year than those who die in road traffic accidents, which should give you some idea of the scale of the issue. Cases have increased by around a third in the last decade, and it remains one of the few cancers which are actually predicted to increase in the coming years.

As dental health professionals here at AP Smilecare, your safety and oral health is our absolute foremost priority, so as you can imagine a cause like this is very close to our hearts! Before we get involved though, there are a couple of things you can do to help limit the chances of mouth cancer affecting you.

Stay Alert For Symptoms Of Mouth Cancer

There are lots of risk factors associated with mouth cancer, but amongst all of them, tobacco and alcohol remain the top ones. Up to half of heavy smokers will likely die from the disease, while excessive alcohol consumption can increase the chances of a mouth cancer diagnosis by as much as four times.

Whether or not you think you’re more at risk for mouth cancer, it’s worth staying on the lookout for these common symptoms:

• Mouth ulcers that don’t heal within three weeks
• Unexplained lumps in your mouth
• Unexplained lumps in your lymph nodes (for example around your neck, armpit and groin)
• Pain or difficulty in swallowing
• Changes in your voice or speech issues
• Bleeding or numbness in your mouth
• A tooth (or several) that become loose for no apparent reason

If you experience any of these symptoms, we’d urge you to contact us immediately, so we can assess your symptoms and take swift further action if necessary. Remember, in many cases, early detection could make the difference between life or death. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true!

At AP Smilecare, provide emergency dental treatment under our range of core services, so whatever the situation with your oral health, you can count on our experts to be able to help. Pop into our dental clinic in Blackburn to book an appointment in person, or do it over the phone by calling us on 01254 297 000.

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