Oral Cancer

We at your Epping Dentist love to see you regularly for a check-up!

Check-ups give us a chance to catch dental issues when they are only emerging. And that, of course, means that we can deal with them before they become full-blown problems – which is so much easier all around.

If you avoid sugary foods and drinks and diligently clean your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and floss daily, you should have only minimal problems. However, life sometimes throws us a curved ball, so it is still best to come regularly for a check-up. We can also give you a professional tooth clean and update you about your dental health.

If you smoke or drink alcohol, it is especially important that you regularly come for check-ups, as we use those visits to look for any early signs of oral cancer.

Like all cancers, the number of oral cancers in Australia is increasing, and simultaneously, the treatments are becoming more and more effective – especially when cancers are detected early. New immunotherapies use drugs that engage the patient’s own immune system to recognise and wipe out cancerous cells.

Common side effects of treating oral cancers with radiation and chemotherapy include sores in the jaw bones that have difficulty healing. Dentists such as we at Epping Dentist liaise with our patient’s cancer specialists and are involved in helping those sores to heal. We also help ensure that the patient’s teeth can function as normally as possible for speech, chewing and swallowing.

These are not very pleasant topics to discuss, but the point is to let you know that dealing with these horrible scenarios is better than it used to be – and that early detection of oral cancer really pays off.

So if you suspect something in your mouth is not as it should be, please come to us for a check-up. If your suspicions are inaccurate, you’ll have relief of mind. If your suspicions are accurate, we can help you start treatment as soon as possible, which is the very best thing you can do – and we can support you throughout in whatever way is best dentally.

The takeaway?

Come regularly for check-ups at your Epping Dentist – especially if you smoke or drink alcohol – as we check carefully for any early signs of oral cancer as well as other dental conditions. And beyond that, carefully brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and floss daily.

To find out more, please click the link for an appointment with us:

https://rawsondental.com.au/book-now/