Can Bad Oral Hygiene Lead to Oral Cancer?

Bad oral hygiene is often associated with dental cavities and gum disease. Poor oral hygiene may contribute to overall oral health issues. You can lower your likelihood of developing oral cancer by maintaining proper oral hygiene. Regular dental check-ups can also help your dentist identify the early signs of oral cancer and arrest the illness before it progresses.

Understanding Oral Cancer

The cells in a person’s body grow, increase in number, and die. A cell becomes abnormal when it undergoes genetic mutations that cause uncontrolled growth, leading to potential tumor formation. Oral cancer develops when the cells in your mouth become abnormal and grow and spread. The abnormal cells attack other healthy cells and destroy the surrounding tissues.

Scientifically, a person’s mouth is known as the oral cavity. The oral cavity constitutes the following areas:

• The roof of your mouth
• The bottom of your mouth
• A section of your tongue that is in the main part of your mouth
• Your gums
• Your teeth
• The inside of your cheeks
• The outside and inside of your lips

Oral cancers commonly affect the tongue, the inside of the mouth, and the lips.

You can also suffer cancer of the throat, the area in the back of the mouth known as the oropharynx. Throat cancer is medically known as oropharyngeal cancer. This type of cancer usually develops in the upper throat, the back of the roof of the mouth, and the back of the tongue.

Oral Cancer Symptoms By Stage

Oral cancer can exhibit various symptoms. The symptoms will vary because cancer can develop on the floor of the mouth, hard palate, cheek, gums, lips, and tongue. There are always anatomical symptoms in the initial stages of oral cancer, like a lesion inside the cheek or a white patch on the gums. You will start experiencing pain and more functional symptoms when oral cancer advances. The functional symptoms can include loose teeth that can make chewing difficult, slurred speech, and trouble while eating.

Pre-cancer And Stage One Oral Cancer Symptoms

The suspicious things you can look for during the initial stages of oral cancer include:

• A thickening of the inner cheek lining or buccal mucosa
• Any sore spot or ulcer that does not heal, or at least improve, within two weeks
• White patches called leukoplakia that can be cancerous or precancerous
• Patches with a mixture of white and red, known as erythroleukoplakia
• Red patches called erythroplakia and
• Other changes in color or texture

Stage Two And Three Oral Cancer Symptoms

The tumor will affect the nerves of the neck and head as it becomes deeper and wider. An individual will begin experiencing numbness or loss of sensation around the mouth, tongue, lips, or jaw if he/she has undiagnosed oral cancer. You also feel hypersensitivity and pain if the nerves are invaded. As oral cancer spreads, it will start affecting the muscles that control the jaw, making it hard for you to close or open your mouth or chew food.

Stage two and three oral cancer can have the following symptoms:

• Dentures that do not fit
• Slurred speech
• Pain in the mouth that does not go away
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• Swollen salivary glands

Stage Four Oral Cancer Symptoms

The tumor will spread beyond its initial location once oral cancer is advanced. You will start experiencing wider areas of numbness or feeling significant pain. The patient will also experience swelling, lumps, or bumps in the jaw or neck if lymph nodes become involved. A patient can also experience a condition known as ‘’lockjaw’’ or trismus if oral cancer invades the muscles controlling the jaw or jawbone. ‘’Lockjaw,’’ or trismus, is a condition that prevents a patient from opening the mouth very wide or, in some situations, at all.

Once oral cancer has metastasized, you can experience other symptoms depending on where it has spread, including the lungs or liver. The following are additional stage four oral cancer symptoms:

• Swelling of the jawbone or tongue
• Loose teeth

Other Oral Cancer Symptoms

Voice changes, hoarseness, pain when swallowing, and an earache that does not go away can, at times, be symptoms of oral cancer. However, certain oral cancer symptoms can also develop with both early and late-stage disease. For example, weight loss usually occurs in the advanced stages of oral cancer due to difficulty eating and metabolic changes. Weight loss can also occur in the later stages of oral cancer because you will have lost your appetite.

Another tricky symptom is bleeding in the mouth. It can be a sign of early-stage oral cancer if a person experiences a little blood oozing out of a lesion mixed with saliva while brushing their teeth. In this case, this can be a sign of early-stage oral cancer. However, the pattern and amount of bleeding matter. It will be a bad sign if there is a significant amount of blood or you have persistent bleeding that does not stop. On the other hand, slight bleeding is not always a sign of oral cancer.

Risk Factors For Oral Cavity And Oropharyngeal Cancers

A risk factor is anything that enhances your chances of suffering a disease like oral cancer. Oral cancer has various risk factors. A person can avoid certain risk factors like smoking. Other risk factors like your age or family record of oral cancer cannot be avoided. However, risk factors do not determine everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not imply that you will suffer oral cancer. Most individuals who suffer oral cancer have few or no known risk factors.

Oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers are sometimes grouped with other head and neck cancers, though their risk factors may vary. These cancers usually have similar risk factors, like:

Genetic Syndromes

There is a high risk of mouth and middle throat cancer for individuals with syndromes caused by mutations or inherited defects in certain genes.

Dyskeratosis Congenita

Dyskeratosis congenita is a genetic syndrome that can cause skin rashes, abnormal fingernails and toenails, and aplastic anemia. Individuals with dyskeratosis congenita also have a very high risk of developing neck and head cancers, particularly of the throat and mouth, at a tender age.

Fanconi Anemia

Patients with Fanconi anemia usually have blood problems at an early age that can cause myelodysplastic syndrome or leukemia. These people also have a very high risk of cancers of the throat and mouth.

Poor Nutrition

Many studies have established that a diet low in vegetables and fruits is associated with an increased risk of cancers of the oropharynx and oral cavity.

Ultraviolet (UV) Light

For most people, sunlight is the main source of UV light. You are likely to suffer from lip cancer if you have an outdoor job exposed to sunlight for longer.

Your Age

Cancers of the oropharynx and oral cavity always take many years to develop, so they are not popular in underage individuals. These cancers are common in people aged 55 years and are first diagnosed at this age. On the other hand, HPV-linked cancers are usually diagnosed in individuals below 50 years.

Your Gender or Sex

Oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers are twice as popular in men as in women. Men usually suffer from these cancers because they are heavy consumers of alcohol and tobacco. HPV-linked oropharyngeal cancers are also common in men.

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Oral Cancer

Diagnosis is the procedure involved in establishing the presence of oral cancer. This process often starts with a visit to your family doctor or dentist. Your dentist will inquire from you regarding symptoms and perform a dental or oral exam. The doctor or dentist can refer you to a specialist, like a neck or head surgeon, based on your information. The applicable tests can include:

Physical Exam And Health History

A physical examination will help your doctor or dentist establish any oral cancer symptoms. Your dentist can do the following during this procedure:

• Look at the throat using an endoscope
• Check the salivary glands
• Check tongue movements
• Assess facial symmetry, hearing, breathing, swallowing, and speech

A person’s health history includes past medical conditions, risk factors, and symptoms. The dentist will ask you about your record of:

• Weight loss
• Previous cancer
• HPV infection
• Alcohol use
• Signs that suggest oral cancer
• Other medical conditions

The doctor can also ask you regarding a family record of:

• Neck and head cancers, and
• Other cancers

Exfoliative Cytology

Exfoliative cytology is a procedure that seeks to establish abnormal or cancerous cells. Your doctor will use a small wooden stick or brush to scrape a small sample of cells and place them on a glass slide. The doctor will stain the sample with dye and examine it under a microscope. Your doctor will perform a biopsy if he/she discovers an abnormality.

Biopsy

The doctor will extract the cells and tissues from the body during a biopsy and take them to the lab for testing. The pathologist’s report will reveal whether you have cancer cells.

Treatment Of Oral Cancer

The treatment of oral cancer varies based on the stages, location, and type of cancer at diagnosis. Some of the treatments involved include:

Keeping Your Mouth Healthy

Keeping your mouth healthy is an important part of cancer treatment. You should ensure your mouth is moist and your gums and teeth clean.

Nutrition

Observing your diet is a crucial part of your oral cancer treatment. Most treatments can make eating or swallowing painful or hard for you. Weight loss and poor appetite are usually common. A nutritionist can guide you on the best food menu, which will be gentle on your throat and mouth. The diet that provides your body with the minerals, vitamins, and calories it requires to heal.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy can be an appropriate treatment in both early and advanced cancer stages. The drugs will bind to specific proteins in cancer cells, interfering with their growth.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs that kill cancer cells. A doctor can administer the medicine orally or via an intravenous line. Most patients undergo chemotherapy on an outpatient basis, but some require hospitalization.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy involves aiming radiation beams at the tumor once or twice a day, five days a week, for two to eight weeks. A combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be used for advanced stages.

Prevention Of Oral Cancers

You can employ various strategies to prevent oral cancer. Usually, you can lower your risk for oral cancer if you:

Have Regular Health And Dental Exams

Your doctor or dentist will check your mouth for symptoms of oral cancer during your visit.

Consider An HPV Vaccine

An HPV vaccine can significantly reduce your risk of HPV-associated cancers like oral cancer. Your doctor or dentist can advise whether the HPV vaccine is appropriate.

Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure To Your Lips

If possible, you can protect the skin on your lips from the sun by sitting under the shade if you work outdoors. You can also wear a broad-brimmed hat, which shades the whole face, including your mouth. Apply a sunscreen lip lotion to protect yourself from the sun.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption is also a leading cause of oral cancer. Take small amounts of alcohol if you choose to drink alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can increase your risk of oral cancer.

Avoid The Use of Tobacco And Alcohol

People who use tobacco are at higher risk of suffering oral cancer than those who do not. Limiting tobacco use can lower your risk of oral cancer.

Find a Reputable Dentist Near Me

Proper oral hygiene can help prevent several diseases, including oral cancer. Like your gut, the mouth is home to large colonies of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Abnormal bacteria communities in oral cavities can cause various illnesses, including oral cancer. Ensure you brush and floss your teeth at least twice daily to eliminate the bacteria in your mouth. Visiting your dentist for regular dental check-ups can also help your dentist identify oral cancer symptoms early. If you need a reliable dentist that you can count on, contact La Puente Advanced Dentistry. Our dentists are experienced in handling all dental disorders, including oral cancer. Contact us at 626-626-7075 to speak to one of our dentists.