Cancer and your mouth
At Camp Hill Dental, we are focused on providing specialised dental care and treatment for cancer patients. But we also take a preventative approach in looking for changes in your mouth that could indicate disease. This includes precancerous lesions and suspicious-looking areas or growths that might need further evaluation. We will check you for early signs of oral cancer during each of your regular dental check ups, so we can keep on top of this issue every step of the way. However, you can ask us at any time for an extra oral cancer screening.
We make use of advanced technology and assess your risk factors in-depth. This extends to educating our patients on the benefits of a healthy diet and being a non-smoker (making sure not to deprive your body of those essential antioxidants and vitamins). Also, don’t ignore the importance of a daily hygiene routine. There is building evidence that poor oral hygiene and chronic irritation of soft tissues from sharp and badly broken down teeth increases the risk of oral cancer, particularly on the side of the tongue and cheeks. We can polish any rough edges and restore broken teeth.
Care & advice for those undertaking cancer treatments
Cancer treatments can affect your whole body, including your teeth and gums. It also affects the whole family. Chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy can cause changes in the salivary glands and lining of the mouth. This, alongside understandable stress, can lead to having a dry mouth. Cancer patients also develop other oral health complications such as infections, mouth sores and tooth decay.
There is a need to address the relationship between cancer and dental health, ie. the fact that the condition itself and the associated treatments can put your teeth and mouth at risk of irreversible damage. At Camp Hill Dental we are here to help you feel more comfortable and to find ways to manage and maintain your oral health during your cancer treatment, wherever possible and appropriate.
