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Posts Tagged ‘Oral cancer screening’

Why Oral Screening is Important

Wednesday, November 18th, 2015

585811_blogNovember is Mouth Cancer Awareness Month and we are determined to do everything we can to raise awareness of the importance of oral screening in Leeds. It sounds extreme to say a trip to the dentist could save your life, but with screening, this really is the case.

About screening

Screening is carried out to identify early warnings signs of dental diseases. We are able to use the latest technology to spot potential signs of dental decay and oral cancer before they become visible to the naked eye. In the case of oral cancer, the time of diagnosis is particularly important, as cancer can progress very quickly and the earlier it is treated, the higher the chance of survival.

Screening is nothing to be frightened of or worried about. The tests take minutes and there is no pain involved. In the unlikely event that potential problems are detected, further tests can be arranged and any treatment required can be administered as quickly as possible.

Looking out for signs of oral cancer

Although oral cancer affects more than 6,000 people in the UK every year, surveys suggest that many people are still unaware of what causes oral cancer and which symptoms to look out for. The main risk factors include drinking alcohol on a regular basis, smoking, a poor diet and HPV (human papilloma virus) infection. Symptoms to be wary of include any abnormal lumps or swelling in the mouth, mouth ulcers and sores that take a long time to heal, a persistent sore throat and difficulty swallowing. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s advisable to get checked out by your dentist or your GP.

If you’d like to find out more about our screening services or learn more about oral cancer, please don’t hesitate to call us and book an appointment.

Six Facts About Oral Cancer

Monday, March 23rd, 2015

585804_blogAt City Dental Leeds, we are determined to fight oral cancer and we urge all our patients to keep up to date with dental checks and oral cancer screening. Like many forms of cancer, the earlier oral cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of survival. Here are six facts about oral cancer:

  • More than 6,800 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the UK. This works out at more than 18 people every day.
  • Oral cancer is much more common in men than women. According to Cancer Research UK statistics for 2011, 4,510 cases were diagnosed in men, compared to 2,257 in women.
  • Oral cancer is becoming more common. Studies and statistics show that the number of cases has almost doubled in the last 10 years.
  • The main risk factors for oral cancer include smoking, drinking, exposure to radiation and other occupational environmental hazards. Around 65 percent of cases are linked to smoking and 91 percent of cases are linked to lifestyle factors.
  • Eating a healthy diet packed with fruits and vegetables can help to reduce your risk of developing oral cancer. A poor diet and insufficient intake of important nutrients contained in fruits and vegetables are linked to more than 50 percent of oral cancer cases in the UK.
  • The most common signs of oral cancer include persistent and slow-healing sores in the mouth or throat, a lump or swelling in the mouth or throat and red or white patches in the mouth. Other signs may include a persistent sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

If you have any questions about oral cancer or you’d like to book a screening test, don’t hesitate to call us. Screening checks are comfortable and they take just a few minutes. We simply use an advanced camera to look inside the mouth and check for any potential signs. Screening is important because it flags up potential abnormalities that may not yet be visible to the human eye.

Take A Simple Mouth Cancer Screening Before It’s Too Late

Monday, October 20th, 2014

4070440_blogMouth cancer is a disease, which affects more than 6,000 people every year in the UK and at City Dental Leeds, we are on a mission to protect our patients. We offer mouth cancer screening to detect early warning signs and maximise the chances of successful treatment and we are also on hand to discuss causes and risk factors with patients.

About mouth cancer

Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer, affects the soft tissue in the mouth and throat. The most influential risk factors for oral cancer include smoking, drinking alcohol and exposure to the HPV infection, which is transmitted through sexual contact. A poor diet can also increase the risk of mouth cancer.

The most common symptoms of mouth cancer to look out for include red or white patches in the mouth, slow-healing ulcers or sores and any abnormal lumps in the mouth or throat. Other symptoms may include a persistent sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

The importance of screening

Screening for mouth cancer is so important because as with most forms of cancer, is can progress very quickly and the chances of survival are much higher when the disease is diagnosed at an early stage. It s estimated that early treatment increases the chances of survival by up to 90 per cent. Screening allows our dentists to identify potential warning signs before they become visible to the naked eye and this can make the difference between life and death.

Screening isn’t painful and it takes just a few minutes; come and see us today; it could save your life!

Kicking-out Oral Cancer in Leeds

Saturday, November 9th, 2013

1341367_blogIf you love to smoke, drink, eat poorly and don’t really care about oral hygiene too much, you are not only putting your teeth and gums at risk, but you can also be making yourself open to oral cancer in the future; these are considered to be among the main protagonists that cause this disease and if you find yourself suffering from irritations for a sustained period of time- sore throats, jaw, ear and headaches, or constant ulcers- you really should get yourself tested as quickly as possible because the faster the diagnosis, the better your chances of beating the problem. It won’t be easy though and it will be a battle; you’ll need the company and support of friends and family for psychological help, as well as having professional nursing afterwards. What is imperative though is you avoid all of the things that may have caused the disease in the first place and improve every area of your lifestyle in order to rebuild the immune system in your body. Essentially you need to change every aspect of your life and make yourself strong for the fight: take heart from the fact though that the recovery stats from this disease are very good indeed in Leeds.

Hateful Oral Cancer in Leeds

Monday, September 23rd, 2013

835423_blogCancer in any form is never nice, but in the mouth it is even worse. Even specialists in this field can get perplexed in Leeds because defining oral cancer is a bit of a guessing game: how is it that someone can smoke all of their life without any problems and yet the next person who has never smoked goes down with the disease- is it in the genes? Who knows? However, you should be aware of a few things and then be aware of the signs. Excess in every part of your life from over smoking, drinking and a poor diet will weaken your immune system and leave you vulnerable to attack from all manner of things. But if you start to notice symptoms not going away, like mouth ulcers, sore throats, aching jaws, or basically anything, you should get checked out immediately and it will only take a few tests to determine if anything is wrong with you. Get in quick and you have a great chance of beating this disease- the stats are good, and though you will have a battle on your hands, you can get through this if you are prepared for a fight. You will need support from every area you can find, but be brave- you can beat this horrible disease, however you need people around you to do it.

Fighting back against Oral Cancer in Leeds

Sunday, August 18th, 2013

2603730_blogOral cancer is a horrible disease to contract, as is any disease of this nature, but when it comes to your mouth you may well be putting yourself at serious risk in Leeds if you have a wayward lifestyle. Now, the reasons behind oral cancer aren’t exactly specific or that clear, but if you are a heavy smoker/drinker and have an awful diet, it won’t help your cause and if you suddenly realise that you are having constant repetitive problems such as ulcers, sore throats, coughing and ear aches, they are just a few pointers that you are possibly heading into cancer territory and should get yourself tested quickly. The quicker you are looked at, the better the condition can be treated and the good news on this front is that recovery rates are improving. But it won’t be a joyride for you; you will need as much support as you can muster from everywhere you can. You will also have to make lifestyle changes in order to prevent a repeat of what you have gone through and for this you are going to have to enlist professional back-up.

 

Leeds goes to war with Oral Cancer

Monday, February 18th, 2013

One of the things that anyone dreads hearing is the diagnosis of oral cancer; it means you have to prepare yourself for war and be ready to fight it head on. Though even today in Leeds, there is no decisive reason for it happening there are some things that you could have been aware of in the beginning. Your diet is important as it helps to maintain a strong immune system, but you will really be enticing the disease in if you smoke and drink heavily and suffer from excess stress. The first signs are generally anything that has been constantly nagging away at you for sometime; sore throats, ulcers, jaw aches and constant coughing, and these need to be checked out immediately because one of the keys to beating the disease is to catch it early. If the diagnosis is what you’ve been dreading, then the battle begins in earnest. Your lifestyle has to change overnight and once you have been treated, you can’t just rest on your laurels, because you need to change the way you live. Throw everything you can at the disease and make sure you have the support from friends and family; the disease is beatable and statistics are good, but you have got to want this more than anything else in your life.

Horrible Oral Cancer in Central Leeds

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

The number of people that have been diagnosed with oral cancer is on the increase in central Leeds which rather makes the disease difficult to isolate and cure altogether. A lot of the reasons only seem to be conjecture as it can strike one person and not another, even if they live identical lives. Yet, the way some of us live our lives has been considered to be conducive to the disease; our dietary habits, stress, poor oral hygiene, smoking and drinking- all of which are considered to be contributory to the problem, and if we tend to be care-free and lazy, we’d probably overlook issues in the mouth until it was too late- which is the most important element in fighting the disease- early diagnosis. We should know when something feels or tastes ‘off’ in the mouth and should get any problem looked at immediately, things like repetitive sore throats and ulcers, neck and ear aches, sores on the lips. It is so easy to get checked out, all you need to do is get down to the dentists or the doctors and after a few tests, a diagnosis can be made. If your worst fears are realised, then deciding on how advanced the problem is, you will have either of three types of surgery, radio, chemotherapy or physical surgery in order to remove the problem. It won’t be easy and the recovery period will be a delicate time- things will have to change, possibly the way you live your whole life, but a lot more people are coming through this illness smiling and with a lot of care and support, oral cancer can be beaten

Oral Cancer Screenings can Help Save Lives in Central Leeds

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Oral cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, many people are still unaware of the symptoms and causes of oral cancer, and, as a result, most cases are not diagnosed until at an advanced stage. This is the stage at which treatment is less likely to be successful. In the UK, the number of cases of oral cancer has doubled in the last decade alone, and more young people are being diagnosed with the disease than ever before.

What causes oral cancer?

There are various risk factors that have been identified for oral cancer; smoking and drinking are major risk factors for the disease, with people who do so 40 times more likely to develop the disease than other people. Recently, research studies have indicated that the HPV (human papilloma virus) is also a risk factor. This may be associated with the increase in cases among young people, as HPV can be spread through sexual intercourse. There is also evidence to suggest that a poor diet may increase the risk of oral cancer.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of oral cancer include red or white patches in the mouth, abnormal lumps or swellings in the throat or mouth, and sores that take a long time to heal. It is important to see your dentist or GP as soon as possible if you notice these symptoms, as early treatment can increase the chance of survival by up to 90 percent.

Oral cancer screening in Central Leeds

Patients’ health is our top priority and we offer oral cancer screening checks to detect early warning signs of oral cancer. Early diagnosis is key to the fight against oral cancer and can make the difference between life and death. The screening lasts just a few minutes and there is absolutely no pain involved.

Confronting Oral Cancer in Leeds

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

It is a life-changing event if you are diagnosed with oral cancer, and you will more than likely have many unanswered questions and worries. This is where the battle really begins and you need to rally yourself for the fight and get as much support from family and friends as you can.

The greatest chance you have is if you can catch the problem in its infancy and the general signs can be a repetitive sore throat, sores or constant lumps and ulcers. You know when something is awry in your body and you’d be straight down the doctors if you felt something wrong. Similarly, you should do the same in concerns to your oral health and get to the dentists if something doesn’t feel right in your mouth.

Through a series of tests, the dentist will be able to ascertain if there is an issue, and if so, check you straight in for treatment. Early diagnosis has proved effective, for there is a high recovery rate in Leeds from oral cancer. But the fight doesn’t just stop when you are given the all-clear. You must then sit down and analyse what got you into this pickle in the first place and that means taking a long hard look at your lifestyle leading up to the diagnosis. Did you smoke, eat badly or drink excessively, because those habits will all need to be stopped to ensure that the cancer doesn’t come back.

There are a lot of support groups in place that can help you through this hard time in your life and your dentist can help to point you in the right direction.