Building a better smile includes always making sure you are taking the necessary steps to eliminate any oral health risks that can arise. Oftentimes, a situation such as oral cancer can occur. Every single year in America, over 40,000 individuals are diagnosed with oral and throat cancer. It is important to make sure it is treated immediately as the 5-year survival rate is only slightly better than 60%.

Always be aware of any signs and symptoms that something is wrong in your mouth. This includes always inspecting your teeth and gums for signs of oral cancer. Common signs of oral cancer include issues with your throat or mouth. This includes difficulty speaking, chewing or swallowing. If you routinely have issues with a chronic sore throat, your voice changes or there is soreness associated with lumps in the back of your throat, visit or dentist for an oral cancer screening.

In many situations, individuals may not experience any symptoms at all. However, if you are experiencing any symptoms routinely associated with oral cancer, visit your dentist. Other common symptoms include patches in your mouth, unexplained bleeding, pus or sores that routinely thrive in your mouth and fail to go away after 2 weeks, oral inflammation, lumps, cross, bumps, or even dramatic weight loss.

If you are in need of a dentist in Kihei, Hawaii, you are welcome to contact Dr. Jonathan Thomas and our team for an oral cancer screening. To schedule an appointment at our dentist office of Jonathan Thomas, DDS, call 808-879-1944.