Mouth Cancer
Mouth cancer can form when mutations occur in the cells of the mouth, lips & tongue. If you are worried you may be showing any cancerous symptoms please pay us a visit.
What causes mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer can form when mutations occur in the cells of the mouth, lips & tongue .The accumulation of abnormal cells can then form a tumour which can spread to other parts of the body. The most common symptoms of mouth cancer are:
- sore mouth ulcers that don’t heal within several weeks
- unexplained, persistent lumps in the mouth that don’t go away
- unexplained, persistent lumps in the lymph glands in the neck that don’t go away
- unexplained looseness of teeth, or sockets that don’t heal after extractions
- unexplained, persistent numbness or an odd feeling on the lip or tongue
- sometimes, white or red patches on the lining of the mouth or tongue – these can be early signs of cancer, so they should also be investigated
- changes in speech, such as a lisp
Factors that can increase your risk of mouth cancer:
- Smoking & tobacco use of any kind.
- Drinking alcohol heavily
- Excessive sun exposure to the lips
- A sexually transmitted virus called Human Papilloma(HPV)
- A weakened immune system.
If mouth cancer is caught early, relatively minor surgery can be used, which has a very high chance of curing the cancer so it never comes back. That’s why you should report any changes in your mouth to your dentist and doctor immediately.