Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Oral Cancer Strikes Baseball Great

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Hall-of-Fame baseball player Tony Gwynn's death from mouth cancer has renewed calls to end the use of chewing tobacco from its traditional place in the game.

Gwynn was only 54 and he had two surgeries to remove malignancies from his right cheek, where he said he would hold the chewing tobacco while he played.

Nearly 40,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer in the US this year and only 50% will survive 5 years or longer. Why are the statistics so dismal for oral cancer? Mainly because oral cancers aren't usually diagnosed until they are at an advanced stage.

Did you know that oral cancer screenings are a regular part of your dental examination? While we are poking around in your mouth we are doing more than looking at the condition of your teeth. Oral cancer screening include a visual examination of all of the surfaces of the mouth, including the cheeks and tongue. We will also manually "feel" for abnormal spots and lumps.

If there is anything that looks suspicious you will be referred to an oral surgeon for another opinion and possible biopsy, although this is rare.

The risk factors for oral cancer include not only chewing tobacco, but smoked tobacco products as well. Oral cancers used to be seen primarily in older men who smoked and drank alcohol but there has been a surge in cases among younger people over the past several years. This increase in younger oral cancer patients has been linked to infection with the HPV virus.

Protect yourself by maintaining a healthy diet, avoid tobacco use and visit your dentist regularly to get those oral cancer screenings! Contact us today at 561-394-9000 to schedule your next visit.

Labels: dental examination, oral cancer