Greetings from Dr. Pasch, Dr. Yam, Dr. Shirzadnia and Dr. Song!
When it comes to leading a long, healthy life, it's always best to know yourself. While this advice can take on significant philosophical meaning, I'm talking about knowing yourself better physically. Being in tune with your body and watching out for early symptoms of disease can be your ticket to perpetually good health.
Every hour of every day somebody in the United States dies of oral cancer. This serious dental disease, which affects the mouth, lips or throat, is often highly curable if diagnosed and treated in its early stages. When you go in for your regular dental exam, you're also being screened for oral cancer. While that's fine and dandy, it's best to go a step beyond, screening yourself at home regularly. This is doubly true for those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol, use tobacco products, are regularly exposed to sunlight, have lip-biting and cheek-chewing habits or have ill-fitting dentures, as all of these characteristics put you at greater risk.
Here's how to screen for oral cancer at home:
Examine yourself in the mirror. The left and right sides of the face and neck should have the same shape. Check for swelling, lumps and bumps.
Look at your skin and note any changes in the color or size of sores, moles or other growths.
Press your fingers along the sides and front of your neck. Do you feel any tenderness or swelling?
Pull your lower lip out and look for any sores. Use your thumb and forefinger to feel the upper and lower lips for lumps or texture changes.
Examine the insides of your cheeks for red, white or dark patches. Gently squeeze and roll each cheek between your index finger and thumb to check for bumps and tenderness.
Tilt your head back to check the roof of your mouth, and then run your finger along the surface. Do you feel or see any unusual lumps or discoloration?
Check out the top, bottom and sides of your tongue, including the soft tissue under it. Once again, note any swelling, discoloration or unusual lumps.
Symptoms of oral cancer include: sores on the face, neck or mouth that do not heal within a couple of weeks; swelling, lumps or bumps on the lips and gums; chronic bleeding in the mouth; white, red or dark patches in your lips, cheeks, gums or tongue; and numbness, loss of feeling or general pain in any area of the face, mouth or neck. If you experience any of these symptoms, or find something unusual during your self-exam, call our office at (212)689-0024 immediately for an appointment! And don't forget during the entire month of April 2013 we will be performing the Velscope screening for oral cancer at the reduced fee of $39 (50% off the regular price of $79) and will donate half of the proceeds to The Oral Cancer Foundation in an effort to beat oral cancer! Also, on Wednesday April 24,2 2013 our office will be performing complimentary Velscope oral cancer screenings! Fore more information about this event please log in http://www.oralcancer-screening.org/events/index.php?eID=5541.
If you have questions, please call us at (212)689-0024 or email us at appts@newyorkdenturedental.com today!
Best Regards,
Herald Square Dental &The Denture Center
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References: www.idanewsletters.com
Showing posts with label oral cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oral cancer. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A Berry Good Proposition: Black Raspberries May Fight Oral Cancer
Greetings from Dr. Pasch, Dr. Yam, Dr. Shirzadnia and Dr. Song!
In the mood for something sweet? Consider a handful of black raspberries. Researchers at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital have shown that black raspberries may not only help prevent colon and esophageal cancer, but help battle oral cancer as well. Lab tests show that this delicious fruit reduced tumors in the mouth by up to 44%. Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems...
First off, black raspberries are very difficult to come by in your regular grocery story, even when in season. Having access to them year-round could be quite a task. Second, studies show you would have to eat about 4 whole cups a day to enjoy the full health benefits. Very few of us actually eat the recommended 5 servings a day of fruit. Finding the time, and stomach, to eat 4 cups of raspberries could be difficult, no matter how delicious they are.
Fortunately, scientists are working on a solution: lozenges. They hope that concentrating the cancer-fighting chemicals in black raspberries into more manageable lozenges will prove to be as successful in the fight against oral cancer as eating the whole fruit (though nutritionists will tell you the whole fruit is always better for you). If researchers find that certain genes respond to the berry extract in them, it could someday mean a simple new way to fight cancer. They would also be available year-round.
It should be noted that fruit is part of a healthy diet, and therefore good for your teeth. Highly acidic fruits, like lemons, can actually harm tooth enamel, however, so try to rinse your mouth out with warm water or brush your teeth after you eat them. Also, stay away from high-sugar snacks, like candy and soda (and yes, even black raspberry cobbler).
If you have any questions about dental health, please don't hesitate to call our office at 212-689-0024 or email us at appts@newyorkdenturedental.com today.
Best Regards,
Dr. Pasch, Dr. Yam, Dr. Shirzadnia and Dr. Song
P.S. If you have any friends or family members who you feel could use our services, please don't hesitate to have them call us. We'll be sure to take good care of them!
In the mood for something sweet? Consider a handful of black raspberries. Researchers at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital have shown that black raspberries may not only help prevent colon and esophageal cancer, but help battle oral cancer as well. Lab tests show that this delicious fruit reduced tumors in the mouth by up to 44%. Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems...
First off, black raspberries are very difficult to come by in your regular grocery story, even when in season. Having access to them year-round could be quite a task. Second, studies show you would have to eat about 4 whole cups a day to enjoy the full health benefits. Very few of us actually eat the recommended 5 servings a day of fruit. Finding the time, and stomach, to eat 4 cups of raspberries could be difficult, no matter how delicious they are.
Fortunately, scientists are working on a solution: lozenges. They hope that concentrating the cancer-fighting chemicals in black raspberries into more manageable lozenges will prove to be as successful in the fight against oral cancer as eating the whole fruit (though nutritionists will tell you the whole fruit is always better for you). If researchers find that certain genes respond to the berry extract in them, it could someday mean a simple new way to fight cancer. They would also be available year-round.
It should be noted that fruit is part of a healthy diet, and therefore good for your teeth. Highly acidic fruits, like lemons, can actually harm tooth enamel, however, so try to rinse your mouth out with warm water or brush your teeth after you eat them. Also, stay away from high-sugar snacks, like candy and soda (and yes, even black raspberry cobbler).
If you have any questions about dental health, please don't hesitate to call our office at 212-689-0024 or email us at appts@newyorkdenturedental.com today.
Best Regards,
Dr. Pasch, Dr. Yam, Dr. Shirzadnia and Dr. Song
P.S. If you have any friends or family members who you feel could use our services, please don't hesitate to have them call us. We'll be sure to take good care of them!
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