Video: Oral Cancer Prevention

SAN LEANDRO — Host, Sarah Rutan: Oral cancer claims thousands of lives every year. Today we’re in San Leandro with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Dr. William Hummer of William R. Hummer, DDS to learn about a crucial preventative factor.

Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Dr. William Hummer: In today’s health care environment, it’s more important than ever to be, or have, a good advocate. Someone who watches out for you, and no one can do it as well as you can do it for yourself.

Cancer is one of the great challenges of our health care. And early detection is the single most important factor in a successful outcome in the treatment of cancer. You are the single most important factor in finding that early detection.

When you’re looking at oral cancer, you like to watch for a lump, a bump, a change in texture, contour, form, color. Something that just doesn’t look normal to you. Something that is not the way your mouth was. It’s changed, but it’s been there at least 12 days. Something that’s there for no reason. There isn’t a sharp corner or any trauma that caused it. Something that might bleed spontaneously, or grow rapidly. Something that’s not the same on the left or right side of your mouth. Something that is never shrinking in size. If you see something like that, ask your dentist or physician, “What is that?” and have them look into for you. I wish you the best.

Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local, top rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.org.