What are Oral Cancer Screenings?
Oral cancer can affect adults of any and all ages. Some patients are more at risk of developing oral cancer, like those who smoke or use chewing tobacco. However, we often recommend a regular oral cancer screening as a way to keep up on your oral health. We perform this at every cleaning appointment. With early detection, treatment is both easier and more effective.
Why would Oral Cancer Screenings be needed?
Lifestyle factors like smoking and chewing tobacco can increase the risks of developing oral cancer. Even if you've quit smoking years ago, it is still important that screenings. The screening itself takes just minutes and can be helpful in preventing future oral health problems. Even if you're not a smoker and don't use other types of tobacco, we recommend having a screening done regularly.
Who is a candidate for Oral Cancer Screenings?
If you're a smoker or use other tobacco-related products, we recommend coming in for routine screenings. If cancer runs in your family, it's important to consider coming in to get checked. Most adults are good candidates for these screenings. The benefits of having a screening done far outweigh the few minutes it takes to have it performed in our office.
What happens during Oral Cancer Screenings?
When performing an oral cancer screening, we look at all the tissue that is pinkish. This includes the lips, cheeks, gums, roof of the mouth, throat, and every surface of the tongue, including the under side. We are looking for unusual lesions, bumps and plaque-like film that could be a sign of oral cancer. If we detect anything unusual, we will recommend that a biopsy be done to find out if the area is benign or cancerous. Keep in mind that the majority of cancer screenings come out negative, but it is still important to have them done so that we can catch a problem early on, if it's there.
.png)