Have you ever sat inside a coffeehouse, people-watching and listening to others order their concoctions of choice? The double, dairy-free, soy, vanilla, cinnamon, dolce, mocha, latte madness can get confusing. What about just a regular old cup of coffee? Well, you may be aware that coffee drinkers can battle with excess stains and dulling on their…
Have you ever sat inside a coffeehouse, people-watching and listening to others order their concoctions of choice? The double, dairy-free, soy, vanilla, cinnamon, dolce, mocha, latte madness can get confusing. What about just a regular old cup of coffee? Well, you may be aware that coffee drinkers can battle with excess stains and dulling on their teeth. Dentists can help with professional teeth whitening options for patients. As it turns out, the pain of coffee stains might be worth it, as your Knoxville dentist, Dr. Jim Erpenbach, will share. Coffee may lower your risk of oral/pharyngeal cancer.
What Is Oral/Pharyngeal Cancer?
Oral/pharyngeal cancer is a difficult malignancy to diagnose. Also known as mouth and throat cancer, few symptoms are apparent in the early stages, when fighting the disease to remission could be much easier. When this type of cancer advances to a point where symptoms are more obvious, the efforts to fight can be a lot more challenging. One thing you can do as a patient is acknowledge any bumps or pain in your mouth that don’t go away after two weeks. If this is the case for you, visit the dentist as soon as possible.
Coffee: A New Miracle Elixir?
A research study from the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta, Georgia sheds interesting new light on coffee’s relationship to mouth and throat cancer. Led by Janet Hildebrand, a team of scientists focused on a variety of lifestyle and health information compiled on 968,432 women and men. Prior studies were also examined, and the data did actually show a lower risk of this particular cancer in study participants that confessed to a four-cup-a-day coffee habit. Not only was their risk of not dying from oral/pharyngeal cancer lower, but significantly so, at 49%.
Schedule a Dental Checkup in Knoxville
Research will still be needed before dentists can knowingly recommend that much coffee as a preventive measure for oral cancer. For now, if you have any suspicious sores in your mouth, you can get an oral cancer screening at the same time as your regular dental checkup. If you would like to schedule an appointment with our 37919 dentist office, you can call 865-584-8630. We welcome patients from Knoxville and the greater metropolitan area.
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