Friday, April 27, 2012

How to Prevent Oral Cancer

Oral cancer, like most cancers, is one of the preponderance of medical conditions where an ounce of prevention really is worth several metric tons of cure. And while Oral Cancer Awareness Month may be rapidly approaching its end, there still may be time for the responsible folks out there to schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric Johnson's office to get a free oral cancer screening.

For those of you who are confident enough to go without, however, we have a bit of parting advice for you -- our best understanding of how to make sure that oral cancer never affects your mouth.

The best bit of advice is to stop aging. Of course, that has its own negative side effects depending on how you go about it. They range from having to drink blood to having a bunch of other immortals try to cut your head off with swords...so that's probably not really a good option. Let's move on with some more realistic steps you can take.

First, avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Basically anything that can actually get into your individual cells and mess them up from the inside -- which all of the above really do -- should be on your 'do not' list.

Second, eat a varied diet that includes at least three different colors of fruit and/or veggie with every meal. Different colors mean different beneficial nutrients, so by switching up the spectrum, you're ensuring that your body gets the variety it needs to function properly. Also, most brightly-colored plant life is antioxidant, meaning it fights cancer's earliest stages.

Third, protect yourself from the sun. Oral cancer can spring up inside your mouth because you get too much UVB on the outside of your lips, jaw, and neck -- so get out the sunscreen.

Finally, get yourself screened for oral cancer! Even the best preventative efforts can fail for no apparent reason -- so make sure you don't have oral cancer by letting the professionals check for it. The earlier it's discovered, the easier it is to treat, so get examined at least once a year. And since it's free this month, now's as good a time as any to get it done, don't you think?

Monday, April 23, 2012

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month! Are You Aware?

Oral cancer doesn't get a lot of play. It's not as lethal as pancreatic cancer, as dramatic as brain cancer, or as commercialized as lung cancer -- but it's pretty nasty stuff nonetheless. Dr. Eric Johnson's office is acknowledging Oral Cancer Awareness Month by offering free oral cancer screenings to anyone willing to make an appointment to see us.

But how do you know if you should come in and get checked?

The obvious answer is "if you have a mouth, you should get checked." But we realize that that won't fly with everyone out there, so here are a dozen other things your body may be telling you that indicate it's particularly worthwhile to schedule a visit.

  1. If you're 60 years of age or more, you should definitely get checked.
  2. If you smoke(d) or use(d) tobacco for more than a month within the last decade.
  3. If you regularly (once a week or more) drink enough alcohol to feel tipsy.
  4. If you've been diagnosed with HPV.
  5. If you have red and/or white patches on the inside of your lips or cheeks.
  6. If you have a lip that's been sore for more than a few days.
  7. If you have unexplained bleeding inside your mouth.
  8. If one or more of your teeth are inexplicably loose.
  9. If you have difficulty or pain when swallowing, especially rough foods.
  10. If you have a lump in your neck and you don't know where it came from.
  11. If you have a pain that feels like its midway between your ears and your jawbone.
  12. If your retainers, dentures or partials have started to feel like they don't fit.
Any of these things can indicate the onset of oral cancer. If you have more than two of them, getting checked for oral cancer should be very high on your list of things to do. Call or come in to Dr. Johnson's office today and make an appointment for your free oral cancer screening -- you've only got until the end of April to get it done for free, so hurry!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What to Expect During an Oral Cancer Exam

Dentists and dental hygienists are quite used to poking around inside people's mouths, and Dr. Johnson and his assistants are no exception. Our vast experience in this area puts us in a unique position to see things going on inside your mouth that few other people can -- things like the beginnings of oral cancer.

An effective oral cancer screening requires a hands-on approach, because some lumps are too small or well-concealed to be visible with the naked eye (and those little mirrors on sticks). Here's what to expect when you come in for an oral cancer check.

  • First, we'll ask you to remove any dentures, partials, piercings, grills, or other mouthware you may commonly use.
  • Next, we'll visually inspect your face, neck, lips, jaw, and mouth for any visible abnormalities. There are lots of things that fall into this category, from obvious lumps to subtle open sores to a simple asymmetry of the mouth.
  • We'll also listen to your speech for signs of slurring or other indications that perhaps there is a sensitive area or a malformation somewhere along your gum line or tongue.
  • Then, we'll feel along your neck and your jawline for any bumps that were too small or hidden to see.
  • And we'll follow that up by feeling along your lips and along the insides of your cheeks.
  • The tongue comes next. First we'll ask you to stick it out and we'll look at the top and bottom. Then, we'll gently pull your tongue out, squeeze it a little, and then move it around a bit so we can get a clean look at the sides and bottom.
  • With our mirrors, we'll carefully examine the roof and floor of your mouth.
  • Finally, we'll feel the roof and floor of your mouth, again looking for any bumps that our visual inspection missed.


If we find anything in this examination, we may recommend you get a biopsy so that we know exactly what we're dealing with. It's a simple, 20-minute procedure that we're offering free all this month. So come on in and get 'poked and prodded' — all for a good cause — your own health.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Are You At Risk for Oral Cancer?

Last year, nearly forty thousand cases of oral cancer were reported, and nearly eight thousand people died from oral cancer or the complications thereof. The National Cancer Institute estimates that a minimum of twenty-one thousand men and nine thousand women are diagnosed with oral cancer; most of them are over 60 years of age, although a growing number of younger people are being diagnosed.

Oral cancer appears in the tissues of the mouth or lips or in the back of your throat (technically called the oropharynx). As with most cancers, the tumor found in oral cancer isn't deadly by itself, but if left alone, it will send out cells that will settle in other parts of your body and create new tumors. Should one of those new tumors end up in a vital place like your heart, brain, or another organ, the cancer can become lethal.

The risk factors for oral cancer are several. Age is the biggest one, with people over 60 being the largest risk cohort. Very closely following age is tobacco use -- cigarettes, snuff, and chewing tobacco are all culprits. Less common but still widely prevalent is HPV -- the Human Papilloma Virus, a sexually transmitted viral infection that can take up residence in your tonsils and tongue, where it is believed to cause cancer of the oropharynx.

Less powerful but still influential factors:

* A diet lacking in multicolored fruits and vegetables.
* Overexposure to the sun.
* Chewing of betel nuts (a common substitute for chaw in Asia.)
* Overexposure to alcohol, especially in conjunction with tobacco or betel nuts.

By far the easiest way to deal with oral cancer, as with any cancer, it to find it in its early stages before it starts to spread. That's why we at Dr. Eric Johnson's office encourage everyone to get their mouths checked — and to get the ball rolling, we're offering free oral cancer exams (a $93 value) to anyone making an appointment in the month of April. Come in and get yourself checked — it only takes 5 minutes, and the mouth you save may be your own!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Modern Family-Oriented Dentistry Is Much More Than You Think

The time was fairly recent that you could expect a so-called 'family-oriented' dentist to be able to do about four things well; clean teeth, fill cavities, pull teeth, and make braces. But in recent years, dental techniques have proliferated faster than TV shows making fun of politicians, and many of them have been absorbed into the canon of the general dental practitioner.

A modern-day family dentist like Dr. Eric Johnson can be expected to do everything that a dentist of twenty years ago could do -- and also create stunning veneers, perform gum surgery, do laser cleaning of stained teeth, create and install implants, crowns, and bridges, and more. Check out some of the amazing things that this modern family-oriented dentist can do for you and your loved ones:

Inlay and Onlay Crowns
Sometimes a truly damaged tooth can only be treated by removing the deteriorated part. Dr. Johnson will sculpt a custom-molded porcelain insert that will exactly match the removed area in both size, texture, and color. The result is the closest thing to a brand-new tooth that dentistry can provide.

Dental Implants
If you've lost a tooth or teeth completely, an implant may be the right answer. A titanium post is placed into your jawbone, where it anchors itself, and the implant is then wired to the post exactly like a real tooth is held in place by its root. The result is a new tooth so lifelike that you might not be able to tell the difference, much less your friends.

Whitening
Tooth whitening is all the rage these days, and Dr. Johnson's office offers the best techniques for getting the job done right the first time and for a long time.

Gum Recontouring
If your smile is nearly half-gum and your pearly whites don't shine underneath all that pink, talk to our office. We can bring you in, use a laser to 'peek back' that unwanted gumminess, and have you walking out the same day with a beautiful, "un-begumming" smile.

This is just a taste of the advanced techniques that a modern family-oriented dentist like Dr. Eric Johnson can perform for you and your family. To learn more, call or drop by the office today!