Despite eating healthily, not smoking or drinking, and exercising almost every day, at the age of 50, Mr. Chu was suddenly diagnosed with esophageal cancer .

According to him, recently he felt uncomfortable in his throat as if something was stuck. This was followed by a dry cough, hoarseness and persistent yellow phlegm.

After many times of buying medicine to take by himself, but the symptoms became more and more severe: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, fever, pain behind the sternum, chest tightness, sometimes difficulty breathing. At this time, Mr. Chu agreed to go to the doctor.

At the hospital, doctors discovered that Mr. Chu had a tumor in his esophagus, so they performed a biopsy. After receiving the results, the doctor gave the official diagnosis of stage 3 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer detection due to incorrect brushing

The doctor said that there are many reasons, but in this case, the cause could be that the patient has made mistakes when brushing his teeth for a long time. Specifically, Mr. Chu had messy teeth but was lazy to brush his teeth since he was young. He usually only brushed his teeth once a day in the morning, hated brushing his teeth before going to bed, but often ate sweets or greasy foods at night.

Poor oral hygiene is a major risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. According to medical history, the patient had many other oral diseases such as periodontitis, tooth decay, tooth loss, etc. Meanwhile, studies have shown that tooth loss, irregular tooth brushing, and poor periodontal health are also potential risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Severe tooth loss increases the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by 1.5 times.

The patient had severe and recurrent periodontitis. This disease contains the germ that causes esophageal cancer, the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis. In addition, the patient often brushes very hard and brushes his teeth for a long time in the morning, but rarely cleans his tongue - a place that contains a lot of bacteria, even dirtier than the teeth" - Dr. Vuong explained.

5 tips for brushing teeth properly to prevent disease

- Everyone should brush their teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Children should use toothpaste appropriate for their age.

- The recommended time to brush your teeth is in the morning after waking up and in the evening before going to bed. You should not brush your teeth immediately after eating, but should wait about 30 minutes. Because after eating, the acids in the food can soften the tooth enamel. If you brush your teeth right now, the tooth enamel can easily be eroded.

- Remember to brush your teeth gently in a spiral motion, not horizontally. Avoid using too much force as it can cause gingivitis, bleeding gums, etc.

- Be sure to choose a toothbrush that is the right size for your mouth and has soft bristles. You should replace your toothbrush every 3 months or whenever you feel the bristles are frayed.

- In addition, you can use dental floss or water pick to clean deep between teeth.