To recognize Oral Cancer Awareness Month this April, all of us at Knellinger Dental Excellence want to stress how important it is to learn about oral cancer and understand the symptoms related to it. Oral cancer is a serious disease affecting more than two-hundred thousand people in the United States each year. Knowing how to spot oral cancer early is one of the keys to catching the disease and fighting it before it spreads.

Here are some common oral cancer symptoms in Palm Harbor, FL:

1. You may notice abnormalities in the mouth area, including coarse patches, white and red areas, and crustiness and roughness.
2. You may experience ear pain and aches with no other obvious cause.
3. You may develop a sore, achy throat that, like the ear pain, can’t be explained by other causes and does not go away after a period of time.
4. Things like eating, speaking and chewing may become harder to do.
5. You may notice a change in the way the voice sounds or a chronic hoarseness.
6. A feeling of numbness or pain in the mouth or face area may come on with no apparent cause.
7. Bleeding inside the mouth and sore spots that don’t go away in a few weeks.
8. You may have unintentional drastic weight loss.
9. Your teeth may feel like they don’t fit together correctly.
10. You may experience the feeling of having something stuck in your throat that you can’t clear away.

Oral cancer may be difficult to detect in its early stages because some early symptoms may not be associated with much pain. This is why it’s vital that a trained medical professional conducts your screening. If you notice any of these oral cancer symptoms call our office at 727-228-8000 to schedule an appointment with our experienced team, Dr. Knellinger, Dr. Verkler and Dr. Bou-Sliman.