Do you have a suspicious lump, bump or ulcer which has not healed in 3 weeks?
Approximately 3 to 10 people a day are diagnosed with oral cancer in Australia with survival rates low due to late detection. As your dentist, we are properly trained in looking for these early signs as part of your routine dental checkup, every 6 months. This is even more important if you are at higher risk for developing oral cancer. These risk factors include:
- Tobacco use of any kind e.g. cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, smoking pipes, hookah, etc…
- Regular alcohol use
- Previous oral cancer diagnosis
- Significant sun exposure, which increases the risk of lip cancer
- Certain Human Papilloma Virus Strains – HPV
Regular checks and early detection is vital for survival
As part of your oral cancer screening, we will check and feel your lips, tongue, throat and cheeks for unusual signs and symptoms and feel your neck and lymph nodes for suspicious lumps and bumps. We may also use digital imaging to monitor lesions to keep track of any changes that may occur.
Early detection is the key to improving the rate of survival so we always encourage patients to have any suspicious lesions and bumps checked out. Survival rates drop to below 40% in cases of late detection.
If you have any lumps that don’t feel or look quite right, or ulcers which fail to heal, please contact us so we can investigate. Anything that does not resolve in 3 weeks should be checked out as soon as possible. We would always rather be safe than sorry.
If you are concerned about suspicious lumps, bumps or ulcers, give us a call on 07 3357 4177 today.