mouth cancer - diagnosis and symptoms

early detection of mouth cancer is a key to survival rates. if you have any risk factors or reasons to believe you may have signs of early stage oral cancer, GET TO YOUR DENTIST immediately OR contact dr. reifman's los angeles-encino dental office at 818.990.6659.

most cancers of the mouth can be cured if caught early

By doing regular oral screening you can bring any changes in your mouth to the attention of your dentist at the earliest possible stage.

Look for the following signs or symptoms that may appear in the mouth, on your tongue or on the lips — and remember, if you find anything out of the ordinary, seek immediate medical attention from your dentist or primary care physician.

• White or velvety red patches that will not rub off or heal.
• Sores or swelling that last longer than 2-3 weeks.
• Repeated bleeding with no apparent cause.
• Numbness or pain in any area.
• Difficulty in chewing, swallowing, or moving your tongue or jaw.
• A mouth sore that bleeds easily, or fails to heal.

Advanced stage tongue cancer; don't let this be you!

Leukoplakia, often expressed as "white patches" of skin lining the inside of the cheek.

Mouth Cancer - Tongue Cancer - Image

Mouth Cancer - Lip Cancer - Image

Risk Factors for Oral or Mouth Cancers

People who smoke or use smokeless tobacco (aka chewing tobacco, snuff), especially when in combination with alcohol, are at risk for oral cancer and should be especially careful in checking their mouths. A thorough oral examination should be done regularly. At our dental office, part of every dental-oral exam on new and existing patients is to check for any signs of oral cancer, or other mouth sores.

Fortunately, most oral "sores" or "lesions" are not harmful. But a small number are dangerous, and if not identified early, they may progress to a more advanced stage. Oral cancer is a devastating disease when detected in its latter stages. Late stage treatment usually involves major facial surgery with only half of such patients surviving past five years. Therefore, it is important to see your dentist regularly so that dangerous oral lesions can be detected at an early, easily curable stage.

Dry Mouth Signs and Treatment

"Dry mouth" refers to the perception of dryness in the mouth. Dry mouth means you don't have enough saliva, or spit, to keep your mouth moist. It is usually due to the lack of normal salivary flow. Millions of people in this country suffer from dry mouth. This growing problem not only impairs general health, but it may also dramatically affect one's quality of life. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while - if they are nervous, upset or under stress. Your saliva also naturally decreases at night which can allow the growth of harmful bacteria and plaque. That's because saliva does more than just keep the mouth wet; saliva helps digest food, protects teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth, and makes it possible for you to chew and swallow.

However, if you have dry mouth all, or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to serious health problems, or even indicate that a more serious medical condition may exist.

Dry mouth symptoms include:

• A sticky, dry or burning feeling in the mouth
• Problems with chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking
• Halitosis, mouth odor
• Cracked lips, mouth sores, particularly around the corners of the mouth
• A dry, irritated tongue that may feel like a burning sensation
• Sleep interruptions due to thirst
• Gum inflammation or infection in the mouth
• Difficultly in wearing dentures
• Dry or burning eyes
• Saliva glands situated around the mouth, under the tongue and below the ear, may become swollen and tender.

What causes dry mouth?

People get dry mouth when the glands in the mouth that make saliva are not working properly. Because of this, there might not be enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. There are several reasons why these your salivary glands might not work.

Side effects of medication

More than 400 medications can cause the salivary glands to make less saliva. As you get older, you tend to take more and more medications such as those for high blood pressure and depression.

Disease

Some diseases affect the salivary glands. Sjogren's Syndrome*, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease can all cause dry mouth.

*Sufferers of Dry Mouth Syndrome and Sjogren's Syndrome show more secondary infections, such as yeast infections (thrush) caused by bacteria. The thrush presents clinically as generalized inflammation of the skin surfaces of the mouth and tongue on which there are small superficial whitish patches. These patches may be removed leaving a red area underneath which often bleeds easily.

Patients report tender burning mouth sensations made worse by hot or spicy foods. Patients that wear dentures find that wearing and fit of the dentures is worse. This is because lack of saliva means that the dentures do not get an adequate seal. Finally patients present with increased decay levels.

Patients may also report a metallic taste in the mouth and thin frothy saliva. They also may report increased bad breath. The more dry your mouth, the more chance you will have bad breath. It has to do with the amount of oxygen available in your saliva. The bacteria that cause bad breath, thrive in an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment. When your mouth gets dry, your saliva disappears or gets thicker, representing the reduction of Oxygen. When the bacteria senses this difference, they start to produce volatile sulphur compounds. For more information on bad breath, visit our page on Halitosis and Treating Mouth Odor.

Radiation Therapy

The saliva glands can be damaged if they are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy

Drugs used to treat cancer can make the saliva thicker, causing the mouth to feel dry and also causing difficulties in speaking.

Nerve damage

Injury to the head or neck can damage the nerves that tell salivary glands to make saliva.

What Can I Do to Treat Dry Mouth?

• Medicines - If your dry mouth is caused by medicine, your physician might change your medicine or adjust the dose.
• Moisten your mouth - Use moistener rinses, such as Biotene liquid rinse. Use bottled water to take frequent sips throughout the day. Its also good to reduce dehydration!
• Chew sugarless, enzymatic moisturizing gum, (ex: Biotène Dental Gum).
• Avoid alcoholic, carbonated, citrus and caffeine-containing drinks.
• Apply lip lubricants or balms as required.
• Drink liquids with meals and use gravies, sauces, yogurt, broth, margarines, and mayonnaise to make food easier to swallow.
• No 'hard' foods - Puree foods or try soft foods like macaroni and cheese, stews, mashed potatoes, soup, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, canned fruits and vegetables, yogurt and ice cream.
• Suck sugarless hard candies (avoiding those with citric acid).
• Avoid overly salty foods, dry foods such as cookies and toast, or soften them with liquids before eating. Also, avoid chewable vitamin C and acidic, sugared lozenges.

Dry Mouth Sufferers...

We want to take you from here...

To here! Call Dr. Reifman's office at (818) 990-6659 for further information.

Cold Sores, Mouth Ulcers, Canker Sores

What's the difference between canker sores and cold sores?

Canker sores are small ulcers with a white or gray base and red border that can become very painful. Canker sores occur inside the mouth. They usually erupt on the inside of the cheeks (see above picture), tongue, and the floor of the mouth. They range in size from a pinhead to a pea. Approximately 20% of the population are affected by recurring canker sores. Canker sores are very common and often recur.

A canker sore located on the inside of the cheek.

Canker sores appear to be caused by stress, nicks and diet. Stress can be caused by any situation that creates anxiety. Nicks can be caused by biting the cheek, tongue or by reactions from hot foods or drinks. Sometimes certain foods can cause canker sores to break out.

Cold sores, also called fever blisters or herpes simplex, are composed of groups of painful, fluid-filled blisters that often erupt around the lips and sometime under the nose or under the chin. Cold sores are usually caused by herpes virus type I and are very contagious. Canker sores are often confused with cold sores. An easy way to distinguish between the two is to remember that canker sores occur inside the mouth, and cold sores usually occur outside the mouth (for example, on the lips).

How Can I get rid of canker or cold sores?

Canker sores usually heal in about a week or two. Rinsing with antimicrobial mouthrinses may help reduce the irritation. Over-the-counter topical anesthetics which may have some antibacterial properties (for example, Zilactin) can also provide relief. Cold sores usually heal in about a week. Another medication, Valtrex, is a strong anti-viral that can be used to treat cold sores.

Women and Oral Cancer

You do all the right things to support an active, healthy life: You eat right, get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly and do a monthly breast self-exam, plus have an annual pelvic exam and Pap test. But did you ever think that your health might also depend on whether you pull out a hand mirror, open your mouth and look around?

Who would've thought?

Yet oral cancer, which is frequently preceded by an easily detectable precancerous red or white patch that can appear anywhere in the mouth, is expected to hit nearly 10,000 women this year alone--continuing an upward trend that has increased the number of oral cancer deaths among women by 9 percent over the past three decades.

What puts women at risk? "Cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco, alcohol, alcohol-based mouthwash and--especially among young women--the human papillomavirus," says Waun Ki Hong, M.D., chairman of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

For further questions about how to treat mouth cancers, dry mouth, and mouth sores, canker sores, or bad breath problems, contact Dr. Reifman at: (818) 990-6659.