Oral health is a part of your life more than you think...

The 14th Annual Oral Cancer Awareness Month is happening now; the month of April. Many associations and foundations alike have joined together in their crusade to get the word or oral cancer out there. These organizations include the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology (AAOMP), American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and the American Dental Association (ADA), and the Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF). Their campaign includes reminding everyone that regular oral cancer examinations from your dental professional are the best methods to detect oral cancer in its early stages. Regular dental visits can improve the chances that any potentially bad changes in your oral health will be caught early, at a time when cancer can be treated more easily. Oral health is in our everyday simple life, like when we eat, talk, smile, or sing. Oral Cancer Awareness Month helps us remember how much oral health directly affects us. It affects our life constantly which makes it very important on a daily basis. Smoking and tobacco use are major oral cancer risk factors, however the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patients is young, healthy, nonsmoking individuals due to the connection to the HPV virus. It seems as if we are helpless to stop this virus from spreading for now; so our only hope to save lives is with professional involvement and public awareness. Educate yourself and help others. That is always a good motto to live by anyway.