Excessive Alcohol Consumption Linked to Oral Cancer

Believe it or not, your dentist can actually tell if you have problems with alcohol consumption. The regular dental checkups are recommended twice per year, and these will help maintaining proper oral health. Moreover, regular visits can help with oral cancer early detection and prevention.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has released some shocking reports, according to which every year, there are about 30,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed; also, every years there are recorded about 8,000 deaths from the oral cancer.

Alcohol consumption actually increases the risk of developing oral cancer. The American Cancer Society reveals that alcoholic drinks contain “ethanol” which is clearly known to play a major role in deteriorating dental health, and raising the risk for oral cancer.

Alcohol can be regarded as a great irritant of the mouth and of all the cells found in the mouth. Over time, alcohol will attempt to change the DNA of the cells found in the mouth, and this is how slowly mouth cancer could appear.

When you consume alcohol, the response of your immune system is slowed down. Therefore, all those harmful chemicals from the alcohol destroy the natural chemical balances from within the mouth cavity, and this is how certain conditions such as periodontal disease or oral cancer might surface. When the natural balance of the mouth is overthrown, the bacteria multiply, and infections can easily appear.

Yet another quite dangerous side effect of excessive alcohol consumption is dehydration. When your system is dehydrated, plaque will form and the bacteria from the mouth cannot be washed away because there is not enough saliva present in the mouth.

Some of the warning signs of oral cancer include the following:

• difficulty in swallowing and chewing food
• ear pain
• bleeding sores within the mouth that doe not seem to heal. Actually, if you have got a sore in the mouth which does not heal within 2 weeks, it is important to go for a checkup.
• moving the jaw or the tongue with difficulty
• a feeling that there is a foreign object in the throat
• feeling of numbness in the tongue
• hoarseness

Excessive alcohol consumptions is extremely dangerous for health in general, and for oral health in particular and this is why it is important to drink with moderation and make sure to respect those regular dental checkup visits.