Oral Health + Cancer

Cancer is an incredibly scary diagnosis, but what if I told you that your dentist could be your best resource for detecting and preventing cancer. When it comes to disease prevention, your dentist can be the first line of defense to detect the onset of inflammation, identify signs and symptoms, and then utilize the latest testing and innovations to diagnose and treat. 

Let’s start where most diseases begin—inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been linked to just about every stage of cancer. Inflammation fuels cancer cells by helping them create their own blood supply, allowing them to replicate and live longer. It can shut down healthy cells and make it easier for cancer cells to spread throughout the body. Cancer thrives in inflamed tissues. So how do we fight the production of cancer cells? Stop inflammation, and you can stop the development of most (possibly all) cancers.

I think it’s important to first dive deeper into oral cancer. Oral cancer can be any cancer in the oral cavity–lips, tongue, the floor of the mouth, gums, tonsils, and oropharynx (the part of the throat at the back of the mouth). The reason oral cancer is particularly nasty, and challenging is that it is often discovered in its later stages and has the same reddish color as the tissue it grows in. Oral cancer looks a little different depending on its location, ranging from a nonhealing ulcer (especially on the lips) to lumps under the skin.

Tongue Cancer: tumors most often occur on the sides of the tongue.

Cheek Cancer: red and white velvety lesions occur at the base of the cheeks (usually in the spot where you would hold your chewing tobacco, catch my drift?).

Throat Cancer: this type of cancer tends to be asymmetrical, can appear white as a stark contrast to the red or your mouth (making it more easily detectable than other oral cancers), hoarseness of voice, and blends in with your anatomy. Sometimes patients will feel a lump as they swallow or have a swollen lymph node in their neck or under their chin.

Quick PSA! Did you know that HPV is responsible for 50% of all throat cancers and 30% of all oral cancer? HPV cancers are on the rise which means having your dentist test for HPV is more important than ever.

Oral cancer cannot be detected by having your dentist just look in your mouth since it usually grows beneath the surface of the tissue. This means to truly identify possible cancer; your dentist needs to use the latest technologies such as a VELscope (my favorite!).

A VELscope is a painless “flashlight” that allows dentists to see the cellular activity beneath the surface tissue that indicates something is amiss, such as pathology/cancer, trauma, and/or infection. The idea behind this tool is that it detects the increased DNA activity that occurs in infection, inflammation, trauma, or even cancer. The entire process only takes a minute or two and is highly recommended.

Now let’s circle back to inflammation. Do you know the best way to stop inflammation? Good oral health, of course! All those things your doctor has been telling you to do for years: eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, don’t smoke (or chew tobacco!), and get enough sleep can significantly impact your oral and overall health. But more importantly, scheduling regular checkups with your dentist, adding on oral cancer screenings, and opting for saliva and HPV testing can make the difference when it comes to early detection and prevention. Seeing your dentist can be truly life changing! 

Want to know more about the connection between oral health and cancer? Schedule a Telehealth appointment or grab a copy of Saved By the Mouth today.