What You Need to Know and Do this Oral Cancer Awareness Month

With this, it’s vital that we know how to identify its signs and symptoms and discuss preventive measures for early detection. In this article, Synapse would like to share what you need to know about oral cancer and help dental practitioners serve their patients more efficiently by leveraging innovative solutions to streamline healthcare processes and prioritize patient care.

Understanding oral cancer

Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is the most common form of head and neck cancer that primarily impacts individuals age 60 and older. It affects various parts of the mouth, including the lips, tongue, mouth roof and floor, and oropharynx.

While its prevalence is rising, early detection is essential for effective treatment. Patients can mitigate risks through lifestyle changes like avoiding tobacco products and alcohol, and practicing good oral hygiene. It would also help if patients performed self-examinations at home.

Here are some signs and symptoms of oral cancer to watch out for, according to Cleveland Clinic:

• Persistent sores on your lips or inside your mouth
• Rough spots or crusty areas on lips, gums, inside the mouth
• Numbness, pain, or tenderness on your face and neck or in your mouth that occur without apparent cause.
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing, speaking or moving your jaw or tongue
• Unintentional weight loss
• Earache
• Chronic bad breath

If any of these signs and symptoms persist for more than two weeks, going to your trusted dental practitioner for evaluation is crucial.

Optimizing oral healthcare practices

Oral cancer is very dangerous and can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated early. That’s why dentists and dental experts play an important role as they take care of our mouths. It’s critical to upskill their best practices so they can care for our oral health better and treat oral cancer well.

Here are some ways dental practitioners can optimize their services and focus on patient care to help prevent the emergence and progression of oral cancer:

1. Include oral cancer screenings. This can be done by including it in routine check-ups to allow for the timely identification of abnormalities
2. Educate patients about risk factors. Information is everyone’s first line of defense. Encourage regular dental visits to aid in prevention and early intervention
3. Outsource a trusted third-party dental provider solution. Take advantage of advanced dental billing solutions by outsourcing to a trusted third-party provider like Synapse, so you can streamline your healthcare processes and focus more on delivering quality patient care.

Streamlining healthcare with Synapse

As an all-around solution for dental providers, Synapse Dental Billing offers a wide range of services designed to help your dental practice run smoothly and improve how well you can care for your patients. With Synapse, you can achieve the following benefits:

• Quickly verify patient eligibility for dental procedures. Synapse can help you swiftly check if patients are eligible for dental treatments. This means you can move forward with appointments and treatments without delay, making sure patients get the care they need when they need it, especially if a disease like oral cancer is suspected
• Keep important health records. Tracking patients’ health records is crucial for providing timely and effective care. Synapse helps in organizing and accessing these records easily, so you can not only speed up the services you provide but also help you more in giving a proper diagnosis
• Streamline healthcare processes. Streamlining healthcare processes is essential for ensuring smooth operations in your dental practice. However, managing everything, including dental billing, can be complex and time-consuming. With Synapse, dental providers can breathe easier knowing that these tasks are handled more efficiently, allowing focus on what matters more: quality patient care.

By outsourcing a trusted dental solutions provider like Synapse, you can improve the overall function of your dental practice, foster a more positive experience, and speed up your practice’s performance, which can lead to increased patient volume and revenue.

As we observe Oral Cancer Awareness Month, let’s continue our efforts to raise awareness, promote early detection, and support those affected by this disease. By understanding the signs and symptoms of oral cancer, empowering patients to take preventive measures, and leveraging innovative solutions like Synapse Dental Billing, we can do a lot to lessen the impact of this disease on people and communities.

To learn more about Synapse Dental Billing, visit our website at https://synapsedentalbilling.com/. You can also contact our Sales department at dentalsales@synhs.com.

*****

Sources:
April is Oral Cancer Awareness: https://www.aaom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140:april-is-oral-cancer-awareness-month
The importance of a healthy smile: https://www.dentalhealth.org/healthysmile
April is Oral Cancer Month: https://oralcancerfoundation.org/april-is-oral-cancer-awareness-month-2022/#:~:text=Each%20April%2C%20most%20of%20the,for%20oral%20and%20oropharyngeal%20cancers.
Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer
https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/oral-and-oropharyngeal-cancer/statistics
Oral cancer causes
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11184-oral-cancer

Other images:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-wearing-a-scrub-suit-standing-beside-a-patient-4269936/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/dentist-having-a-discussion-with-a-patient-6627354/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-blue-scrub-suit-sitting-on-black-chair-4269940/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/dentist-having-a-discussion-with-a-patient-6627314/