Mouth Cancer Awareness is not restricted to November. At SpaDental we are mouth aware every month of the year.
Our dental professionals encourage patients to make regular dental appointments. That’s because we believe preventive dental care is the best way to look after your teeth. Moreover, it means that an expert is looking in your mouth to assess the health of your teeth, gums, lips and soft tissue. With the number of patients diagnosed with oral cancer on the increase, checking is vital.
If our patients are ‘mouth aware’ too, and self check, then there’s more chance of identifying suspicious lumps or lesions in the early stages, which means a better prognosis long term.
What to expect in a regular appointment.
During a routine appointment, your dentist always checks for signs of mouth cancer.
Our patients can help too, by getting to know their own mouths and checking for anything that feels or looks different.
How do I self check? 
- Cheek
- Look out for red, white or dark patches inside your mouth.
- Put your index finger inside your cheek and your thumb on the outside.
- Gently squeeze the cheek for any tenderness, lumps or ulcers.
- Head and Neck
- Look at yourself in front of a mirror.
- Do both sides look the same?
- Look for any lumps or swellings that are on one side of the face.
- Lips
- Pull down the lower lip and look for any sores or change in colour.
- Use your thumb and index finder to feel the lip for any lumps.
- Feel for changes in texture too.
- Tongue
- Look for any change in colour or texture of the surface.
- Check the sides for any swellings or change in colour or ulcers.
- Also, check the underside of your tongue.
- Neck
- Feel and press along the front and sides of the neck.
- Can you feel any lumps?
- Mouth
- Run your finger on the roof of the mouth.
- Can you feel any lumps?
- Do the same for the floor of the mouth.
What if I’m worried?
If you have any worries of concerns, please contact us at your earliest convenience so we can make an appointment to see you. Be sure to explain your concern, so that we see you as a priority patient.
The earlier we can detect mouth cancer, the easier it is to treat.