• See a dentist twice a year.
• Ask your dentist to perform an oral cancer exam and to evaluate abnormalities.
• Quit smoking, using smokeless tobacco and drinking excessive alcohol.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Perform a self-exam – look for anything abnormal under or on the tongue and in the cheek and lip areas.
• If a sore doesn't go away within two weeks, tell your dentist.

Reviewed: January 2012