There are a number of areas to check for mouth cancer. The Mouth Cancer Foundation has provided a superb self check kit which we have provided below. This will take 2 minutes and could be crucial in spotting early signs of mouth cancer. If in doubt, please book an appointment with your dentist.

FACE
 

Look at the whole face. Are there any swellings you haven’t noticed before? Inspect your skin. Has anything changed recently? Have moles become larger or started to itch or bleed? Turn your head from side to side. This stretches the skin over the muscles making lumps easier to see.

NECK
 

Run the fingers under your jaw and feel along the large muscle either side of neck using the balls of your fingers. Are there any swellings? Does everything feel the same on both sides?

LIPS
 

Using your index, middle fingers and thumb to feel the inside of your mouth. Pull your upper lip upwards and bottom lip downwards to look inside for any sores or changes in colour. Use your thumb and forefinger to feel around and inside your lips checking for any lumps, bumps or changes in texture.

GUMS
 

Use your thumb and forefinger on the inside and outside of the gum working your way around the gum to feel for anything unusual.

CHECK YOUR CHEEKS
 

Open your mouth and pull your cheeks away, one side at a time, with your finger to look inside. Look for any red or white patches. Use your finger in the cheek to check for ulcers, lumps or tenderness. Repeat on the other side. Your tongue can be helpful to locate sore areas, ulcers or rough patches.

TONGUE
 

Gently pull out your tongue and look at one side first and then the other. Look for any swelling, ulcer or change in colour. Examine the underside of your tongue by lifting the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

FLOOR OF MOUTH
 

Lift your tongue up and look underneath then look at the floor of your mouth for any colour changes that are unusual. Gently press your finger along the floor of your mouth and underside your tongue to feel for any lumps, swellings or ulcers.

ROOF OF MOUTH
 

Tilt back your head and open your mouth wide to check the roof of your mouth. Look to see if there are changes in colour or ulcers. Check for changes in texture with your finger.

Make a note of anything unusual. If you have recently had a cold, sore throat, ulcer or swollen glands, bitten or scolded yourself for example, these should heal within 3 weeks. If you have any concerns visit your dentist or doctor to see if you need specialist advice.

We don’t know what causes most mouth cancers. However, there are several factors that are likely to increase your risk.

Up to 90% of all mouth cancers are linked to lifestyle factors.

This means that with a few small changes, you can help cut your chances of developing mouth cancer.

If you do not stop or reduce the things that might put you at greater risk, it is important that you self check at home and regularly visit your dentist.

The below causes are linked to mouth cancer.
 

We strongly believe in life long learning with continual education. Recently the practice has completed a course on adult and paediatric life support and medical emergencies. This is consider a core subject and is undertaken on a yearly basis. Dr Nissit Patel has also just completed an IR(ME)R course in dental radiography and radiation protection- justification, optimisation and limitation. This was a full day course with Eric Waites as the speaker, a well renowned expert in the field.

In November, Dr Patel attended the American Academy of Implant Dentistry Conference in Florida. This was a comprehensive programme on modern dental implant dentistry focusing on digital dentistry. This is the future of dental implant treatments as well the majority of advanced dentistry. There has never been a better time to replace missing teeth with dental implants.

So, if you would like a dental practice that is fully up to date with the latest procedures, techniques, materials and technology that is evidence based, Progressive Dentistry is for you.

Dentistry has certainly been in the news recently with the dentist from Nottingham and his dubious cross infection techniques. This therefore puts the spotlight on dentistry as a whole but also allows us to respond and let our patients know exactly how our cross infection policy works. This is what we do: 

1. Alcohol hand rub prior to every patient and new gloves. 

2. Every single instrument is taken from a pre sterilised bag that has a date when it was sterilised and when it should be sterilised again it not used within the time frame.

3. All used instruments are hand cleaned and scrubbed using dental disinfectant.

4. Instruments are then placed in an ultrasonic bath.

5. Instruments are then sterilised in an autoclave.

6. The autoclave has a printer to verify that the correct temperatures have been reached and for the recommended time frames.

7. The instruments are then dried and sealed and dated within the bags. We have invested in a new autoclave recently, the Little Sister 2010 which is extremely reliable and effective. We also ensure all surfaces are cleaned thoroughly before and after every patient. The practice is also professionally cleaned every day after clinics have been run using high quality disinfection techniques. Earlier this year, we invested in high quality flooring within both surgeries to ensure effective cleaning. 

We constantly strive to improve our services to ensure to a safe environment for our staff and patients. However, we welcome feedback and if you feel we could be doing something better or could recommend an improvement, please let us know.