Nolan River Dental Center Dentist Cleburne Texas

At Nolan River Dental Center, we know that oral cancer prevention in Cleburne is incredibly important.  Oral cancer is not spoken about on a frequent basis.  Few people walk around with a t-shirt, and there are no fancy marketing campaigns that mention it.  It is a quiet killer that very often goes undiscussed and unnoticed because of where it is located.  Since you cannot see inside of your mouth, if you developed any of the signs, you probably would not be aware of it until you visited a dentist.  The problem is that oral cancer kills one person every day in the United States.  This makes it a serious and deadly disease, and the best thing you can do to fight it is to decrease your risk factors and be screened on a regular basis.

With any cancer, the sooner you can detect it and begin treatment, the better.  If you can catch the cancer before the it has grown and spread, you will have access to more treatment methods, and you may not require treatment for as long as someone that catches it in a later stage.  We do not treat cancer in our office, for that you need to see an oncologist. However, we can be your first line of defense in detecting it.  We conduct oral cancer screenings and can let you know if you are displaying any physical signs of it or if you have any signs that abnormal cells are developing.  This way, you can get to an oncologist right away and begin fighting the disease.

Oral Cancer Prevention in Cleburne

If you want to prevent oral cancer, start by eliminating the risk factors from your daily life.  Just like it is important to change your diet for the health of your heart, the health of your mouth depends on making lifestyle changes as well.  This includes reducing or eliminating these risks –

Stop using tobacco products.  The highest known risk to getting oral cancer is chewing tobacco products.  Smoking is a risk as well, but nothing compares with putting a packet of chew in your mouth.  People that chew tend to keep tobacco in their mouths for long periods of time, and their risk for getting the disease go up to 60 times that of the average person.  We cannot encourage you strongly enough to quit.

Drinking too much alcohol.  People that drink excessively are at an increased risk for oral cancer. The level of alcohol that is considered excessive has long been debated by doctors and scientists.  We cannot tell you exactly how many beers per day are safe, but you may want to discuss your alcohol usage with your MD if you are drinking on a daily basis.

Overexposure to the sun.  For the health of your skin and your mouth, limit your direct sun exposure.  Getting outside is healthy, but wear a sun hat and sunscreen so that you do not burn and try to avoid being in the sun during the midday heat to prevent burns.

HPV.  If you have been diagnosed with the HPV virus, you are at an increased risk for oral cancer.  This virus is becoming more and more common, and your MD can provide you with details on how to protect yourself.

In addition to eliminating these risk factors, you can engage in oral cancer prevention in Cleburne by keeping yourself healthy overall.  When you eat a balanced diet that is high in the nutrients your body needs, exercise, and take steps to prevent things like gum disease, your body will be healthier and better equipped to fight any illness that comes your way.  In the meantime, stay alert and visit us for a cancer screening once per year.