Common Oral Diseases & Their Signs
You may be surprised at how common oral diseases are. More than half of all Americans have a degree of periodontal gum disease and annually 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer. However, you can protect yourself by learning about the most common diseases and their early symptoms.
COMMON ORAL DISEASES
Herpes
One of the most common oral diseases is Herpes. Oral herpes, commonly known as cold sores, affects nearly half of all Americans. Oral Herpes is spread through the herpes simplex virus (HSV1). Once infected the skin breaks out in blister-like sores. Herpes is very contagious and will easily spread from the infected area and broken skin. Even when the symptoms aren’t present there is a possibility of the disease spreading.
Oral Cancer
One of the most dangerous oral diseases is oral cancer. Oral cancer is the cause of about 5,000 deaths each year and the mortality rate over 5 years is only 59 percent. It is critical to detect oral cancer in its early stages. Your regular surgeon may be able to detect early symptoms during your regular check-up. If they detect something then the surgeons at Bay Area OSM and Implantology can perform a biopsy to analyze tissue from the mouth to determine if it is cancer. The surgeons can also perform surgery to remove the cancerous tissue.
Infections
The conditions inside the mouth make it easy to pick up other types of infections. It is warm, moist and receives a regular supply of sugars on which bacteria can feed. A common infection is Candida or thrush. The symptoms of these types of bacterial or yeast infections include white or yellow patches that grow inside your inner cheek, gums or throat. You may also detect small ulcers inside your mouth. These types of diseases are easily treated.
Gum disease
Another very common problem is gum disease also known as periodontal disease or periodontitis. This disease comes about when the bacteria in your mouth multiplies rapidly and gets between your teeth and into your gums. The disease than can cause your inflammation in your gums, it can cause them to recede and it’s one of the main reasons why adults lose their teeth.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF ORAL DISEASE?
You can easily detect signs of oral disease by looking at the color of the inside of your mouth. A healthy mouth will have a consistent coral pink color throughout. Some things to look out for are:
- A patch of thicker or raised tissue
- Patches that are red or white in color
- Tissue on the side of your tongue that has the appearance of being hairy
- Sores that don’t heal
- Ulcers
- Bumps or lumps
- Unexplained swelling
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I HAVE AN ORAL DISEASE?
If you notice any of the symptoms above while carrying out your daily cleaning routines then make an appointment with your regular surgeon. If they too detect an abnormality then they can refer you to have a biopsy.
The team at Bay Area OSM and Implantology can perform this biopsy for you. They will analyze the tissue sample and will be able to detect the problem. Then together with your regular surgeon will be able to resolve the issue helping you to recover to good oral health.
