{"id":754,"date":"2019-04-29T00:11:20","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T00:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/?p=754"},"modified":"2019-04-29T00:11:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T00:11:20","slug":"see-your-family-dentist-in-norman-for-an-oral-cancer-screening-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/see-your-family-dentist-in-norman-for-an-oral-cancer-screening-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"See Your Family Dentist in Norman for an Oral Cancer Screening Soon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-graphic-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Stop oral cancer message\" class=\"wp-image-755\" width=\"317\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-graphic-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-graphic-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-graphic-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral cancer is an insidious\nillness that strikes more than 50,000 Americans annually. More than 10,000 US patients\ndie of the disease each year, making it one of our nation\u2019s most serious health\nthreats. That\u2019s why your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/our-services.html\">family\ndentist in Norman<\/a> joins with his colleagues in urging you to get an oral\ncancer screening soon. The few minutes the test takes could make a lifetime\u2019s\nworth of difference for your health and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Problem You Dare Not Ignore<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most troubling\nthings about oral cancer is the way it often goes undetected until it reaches\nan advanced stage. In fact, most cases of the disease could be successfully\ntreated if they were only caught in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the problem is that most\npeople are untrained in spotting the telltale warning signs of the condition.\nWe get so busy in our day-to-day activities that we fail to notice an oddly\ncolored or misshapen growth. Or, if we do see the problem, we assume it\u2019s\nnothing serious and it will go away on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes this is true, of\ncourse. Not every bump or sore in your mouth or on your lips is oral cancer.\nBut the consequences of being wrong are too serious to ignore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why oral cancer\nscreenings are now a standard part of every dental exam performed in the United\nStates. Here\u2019s what you can expect during one of these examinations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Your dentist will\ncheck your mouth, tongue, palate, lips, throat, and face for indications of the\ndisease. He or she may use a special light or dental rinse to distinguish a\ncancerous lesion from an ordinary blemish.<\/li><li>If your dentist\nsuspects the presence of oral cancer, then he or she will remove a tiny sample\nof tissue for a lab to biopsy. This is typically a painless process that takes\nonly a moment.<\/li><li>In a few days\nyour dentist will receive the test results. If the presence of cancer is\nconfirmed, then your dentist may refer you to an oncologist (cancer specialist)\nfor a follow-up exam and treatment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treating Oral Cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cancer therapy has made great\nleaps forward in the past 10 years. Today\u2019s doctors have access to a wider range\nof therapies than ever before. Here are some of the many options available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Traditional approaches like surgery, chemotherapy, and\nradiation: <\/strong>these are the most common treatments\nfor oral cancer. They have a strong track record for success, especially when\nthe illness is caught early. <\/li><li><strong>Targeted drug therapy: <\/strong>this approach differs from standard chemotherapy by\nzeroing in on cancer cells specifically. Not only can this lead to more\neffective treatment, it can spare the patient many of the unpleasant side\neffects associated with older anti-cancer drugs.<\/li><li><strong>Immunotherapy: <\/strong>this\napproach uses the body\u2019s immune system to fight cancer, much like the way it\ncombats infectious diseases. <\/li><li><strong>Alternative or complementary therapies:<\/strong> these may include diet, exercise, or spiritual\npractices like meditation. There is some evidence that they can help patients\nachieve better treatment outcomes, especially when used alongside conventional\nforms of therapy.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral cancer doesn\u2019t have to be\na death sentence for all patients. Early detection greatly increases your odds\nof beating the disease and living a long, healthy life. Make an appointment for\na screening with your dentist. You\u2019ll soon be enjoying better health and\ngreater peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Dr. Bobby J Carmen is a member of the\nAcademy of General Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He\u2019s\nhighly skilled in many aspects of the dental profession, including oral cancer\nscreenings. You can reach his office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/contact.html\">online<\/a> or by calling (405)\n364-2200.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oral cancer is an insidious illness that strikes more than 50,000 Americans annually. More than 10,000 US patients die of the disease each year, making it one of our nation\u2019s most serious health threats. That\u2019s why your family dentist in Norman joins with his colleagues in urging you to get an oral cancer screening soon. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":756,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions\/756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drbobbycarmen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}