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Mouth cancer can appear in different forms in the mouth. Sometimes it appears as a white or red patch, but most often it appears as a painless ulcer that doesn't heal.
It is important that you examine your mouth on a regular basis. If you have an ulcer that hasn’t healed after three weeks or any unusual changes such as a red or white patch in the mouth, you should arrange an appointment with your dentist.
Your dentist should also check your mouth, including the cheeks, tongue, gums and lips, for signs of cancer during a regular dental check-up. It is especially important for people in high risk groups who smoke, drink alcohol or are over 40 years to have this soft tissue examination to look for signs of cancer.
Don’t forget your dentist may spot something you haven’t during a screening so regular dental check-ups are very important.
As well as screenings, your dentist may also use a special dye to highlight suspicious areas that may need further investigation.
What will happen next?
- If the dentist finds something suspicious, patients are referred to a specialist department at a local hospital for further tests, advice, and treatment if it is necessary.
- A small sample of cells from the area (a biopsy) will be taken for examination by a pathologist.
- If the patient is found to have mouth cancer then further tests, such as blood tests, x-rays or body scans may then be needed to find the exact site of the cancer.
- After diagnosis the specialists will design a treatment plan that is best suited to the individual patient's needs.
The three treatment options for patients diagnosed with mouth cancer are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. See the Treatment page on this site for more information.
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