{"id":1708,"date":"2021-07-13T10:16:24","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T10:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cygnetessexdental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1708"},"modified":"2021-07-13T10:16:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T10:16:24","slug":"stop-smoking-prevent-mouth-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cygnetessexdental.co.uk\/blog\/advice\/stop-smoking-prevent-mouth-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Smoking And Oral Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oral cancer – a life changing disease. How to minimise the risks….<\/h2>\n

\"Dentist<\/a>Cancer, or \u2018the big C\u2019 as it is sometimes called, is well known to most of us and we may well know people who have had this disease. For those of us who haven\u2019t, it can be a pretty frightening thought although treatments are much better now and the prognosis generally more hopeful than in the past. Fatalities do still occur of course but even survivors can find their lives altered quite drastically, sometimes limiting their opportunities in life.<\/p>\n

Many cancers such as lung or breast cancer are well known but did you know that you can get oral, or mouth cancer too? This might not be as rare as you think and is responsible for one in every fifty cancers that are diagnosed. Like many other types of cancer, there is a lot that we can do to minimise our risks and today\u2019s Cygnet Dental Practice<\/a> blog offers some relevant advice for our Wickford and Rayleigh patients.<\/p>\n

Smoking – the number one cause<\/h3>\n

There is little doubt that the main contributor to oral cancer is smoking. Thankfully, many people do now realise the dangers of smoking and have managed to quit. There are still thought to be around 14% of the UK population who do smoke, a number which is still too high.\u00a0 It is also quite likely that many of these will be younger people who tend not to think about illness and mortality and feel invincible at that age. Sadly, taking the decision to start smoking when young is likely to lead to health problems in later life.<\/p>\n

If you do smoke, now is the time to quit. There are many ways this can be done, from nicotine patches to vaping devices. There are also many support groups who will be able to help you quit and we recommend that you contact one of these for advice.<\/p>\n

Alcohol<\/h3>\n

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Although the odd pint or beer or glass of wine should do little harm; if you are a regular drinker or drink a lot, your risk is similar to that of a smoker, and, of course, if you do both, your risks are even higher. Try to drink sensibly and make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated too as this will help to keep your mouth in better health.<\/p>\n

HPV<\/h3>\n

HPV or \u2018human papillomavirus\u2019 is a growing concern with around one in four cases being linked to this. In younger people it is even higher. HPV is transmitted through oral sex and can cause both mouth and throat cancer. Practising safe sex will help to minimise this risk as will limiting the number of sexual partners.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of oral cancer<\/h3>\n

There is not one single symptom that indicates that you might have oral cancer. There are a number of common ones which might include:<\/p>\n