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Cancer is usually something we don’t associate with the mouth, but Oral Cancer, as it’s known, is on the rise and it is so easy to avoid says a London dentist. Smoking is an obvious cause as is chewing tobacco, which is still popular in many countries. The lips can get cancer as well and one the causes here is exposure to the sun, we tend to think of skin cancer being caused by too much sun, but Oral Cancer is also a victim. Oral Cancer can affect the lips, gums, tongue and throat, the signs to look out for are reddish lumps that bleed and don`t heal up. There is a difference between an ulcer and a tumour in the mouth, so if you get a lump that doesn`t look right see your doctor straight away. Oral Cancers can be cured, that`s the good news, the bad news is that many of us fail to get treatment at an early stage. Leaving a suspect lump won`t make it go away, it isn`t like a drunk that is annoying you at a party, if you ignore it I guarantee it won`t move on. Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy has moved on a long way, and you may get one or both treatments for your Oral Cancer, sometimes a chemo tablet will suffice. Good oral hygiene will also help to keep cancer at bay in your mouth, flossing will keep acid and bacterium under control, these cause the gums to become infected and bacterium can leak into the blood system. There has recently been reports that there is a link between heart disease, diabetes and cancer that comes from infections originating in the oral area. Just being a little bit more vigilant and reporting those infections and lumps to our dentist or doctor, will go a long way to keeping Oral Cancer at bay.