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Oral Cancer Screening in Hillsboro, OR |
 At Hillsboro Dental Center, we care deeply for your health and well-being and want you to know that we make your health our first priority with every visit. Oral cancer is a pervasive and potentially life threatening disease that poses a serious risk to everyone. If the cancer is allowed to progress and goes undiagnosed or noticed for long periods of time it can be deadly. Each year there are roughly 30,000 people who are diagnosed with some form of oral cancer and after five years’ roughly half of that number is taken by the disease. For this reason, we always check your mouth for signs and symptoms of oral cancer to ensure that we can detect it early and guarantee you the best chance at beating this dangerous disease.
How We Detect Oral CancerYou may not realize it, but every time you come in for a professional cleaning and examination, we are looking for signs of oral cancer. This is one of the many reasons that we suggest having a cleaning and exam at least once every sixth months.
Imagine coming into our office for an exam and then a month after a cancer takes root in your mouth. If you don’t come in for another year, or if you wait until you notice a change it could be too late. With exams every six months we allow adequate time to find oral health problems.
When examining your mouth for oral cancers we look for bumps or sores that appear out of place, or not normal. Other issues that can be a sign of oral cancer are:
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Sores that heal slowly |
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Persistent sore throat |
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Lumps |
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Tooth loss |
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A lump in the throat that cannot be swallowed |
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Discoloration |
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Pain |
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Change in bite |
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Dental appliances not fitting |
If you ever experience any of these symptoms for more than a few days, please call our office at (503) 648-2829 and setup and appointment.
Risk Factors Contributing to Oral CancerIt is important to note that just because you don’t engage in activities or lifestyles that put people at higher risk for oral cancer, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen to you. It is a common occurrence that people who lives a very healthy lifestyles experience cancer.
That being said, there are a few factors that contribute to much higher risks of oral cancer. Unsurprisingly, tobacco use puts people at a much higher rate of oral cancer as well as a wide variety of other oral health related issues. Higher frequency of tobacco use means higher risk of cancer. Same thing with alcohol use. It is surprising that about 70% of people who develop oral cancer are also heavy drinkers.
Some factors are beyond your control entirely. Many times people have genetic predispositions to cancer and there is not a whole lot to be done other than try your hardest to stay away from known carcinogens. Also, being a male comes with double the risk of cancer. We take all risk factors into account when examining our patients.
Check Out Our Cosmetic & Sleep Dentistry Options!
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Hillsboro Dental Center
Dr. John T. Roberts and Dr. Cheryl Hansen
Partnering with Dr. Philip Cronin
4440 NE Cornell Rd.
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-648-3125
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