Oral Cancer Screening Oral cancer screening is a process performed by dentists to detect any precancerous conditions or symptoms of cancer in the mouth. The primary goal of an oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer as soon as possible, when there are better possibilities of curing it. The screening is usually done during your routine dental checkup.Our dentist will assess your mouth for any signs of lumps, color patches, swellings, ulcerations, asymmetries, or other oral abnormalities. We will also examine your cheeks, jaw, face, neck, lips, oral cavity, and inside your nose. Visit us at Dental Works to schedule an oral cancer screening. The Importance of Oral Cancer ScreeningsScreening for oral cancer has various advantages. Oral cancer screening aids in detecting precancerous lesions that may develop into mouth cancer. These lesions are simple to remove, and the patient has a much higher chance of healing completely if they are detected early. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of patients diagnosed with mouth and throat cancers. Tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and snuff are mostly to blame. Furthermore, excessive sun exposure raises the risk of developing lip cancer. Mouth cancer risks are also increased by heavy alcohol consumption and a previous oral cancer diagnosis. Oral Cancer Screening PreparationOral cancer screening does not require much preparation as we can do it during your routine dentist appointments. During your regular oral examinations, our dentist will look for any sores or red or white areas within your mouth. The dentist will feel your oral tissues for lumps and other irregularities. We may choose to perform further tests to look for oral cancer. Oral cancer screening light and oral cancer screening dye are two tests that dentists usually carry out. The dentist will shine a bright light in your mouth during the examination to check for oral cancer. The light causes abnormal tissues in your mouth to become white, while healthy ones become black. On the other hand, oral cancer screening dye involves washing your mouth with a particular blue dye before the inspection. All abnormal cells in your mouth appear blue after rinsing your mouth with dye, allowing the dentist to identify them. If any precancerous lesions or indicators of oral cancer are present, we may recommend that you return in a few weeks. We will then see if the abnormal region is still present, has changed, or increased gradually. We may also recommend that you get a biopsy, which involves taking a sample of cells to send to a laboratory to be tested for cancer cells. We may also refer you to an oral cancer specialist for additional treatment if needed. Visit Dental Works to learn more about oral cancer screening. Call us today at (480) 360-7529 and schedule an appointment. |
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