OralCancer Screening: Why It's Vital and What to Expect

Did you knowthat your dental team at Great Lakes Dental is in a unique position to help detectand treat oral cancer? Your physician typically doesn’t look in your mouth, andyou may not even notice that you have a non-healing sore or another commonsymptom associated with oral cancer. Fortunately, we conduct an oral screeningat every preventive exam. You can relax knowing that a dentist with specialtraining in finding oral tumors is inspecting your mouth twice a year.

RiskFactors Associated with Oral Cancer

It can bechallenging for dentists to predict who will get oral cancer and who will not.However, having certain risk factors does increase the likelihood that you willget it. These include:

·       Using any type oftobacco, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, snuff and chewing tobacco

·       Heavy use of alcohol

·       An earlier diagnosisof oral cancer

·       Excessive sunexposure because this increases the risk of cancer of the lip

The goodnews with oral cancer is that most of its risk factors are preventable. Weencourage you to consideryour habits and to quit smoking if you smoke. Also, consume alcoholin moderation and protect yourself outdoors by remaining in the shade as muchas possible and wearing a wide-brimmed hat to prevent sun exposure to the face.

WhatOur Dentists Look for During an Oral Screening

In additionto inspecting your mouth and oral cavity, your dentist will look at your lips,face, neck and inside of your nose. The purpose of this is to see if you haveany asymmetries, bumps, color patches, swellings, ulcers or any other type ofabnormal growth. You can expect your dentist to use a small flashlight to seeinside of your mouth and nose as well as a tongue depressor to prevent yourtongue from blocking the view.

Thisscreening also consists of a physical exam where the dentist feels under yourchin and around your jaw as well as your cheeks and head since abnormal growthsaren’t always visible. You may need to swallow as your dentist examines yourthroat.

You’rein Good Hands

Althoughthe word cancer may make you feel uneasy, you stand an excellent chance of afull recovery with an early diagnosis. Please contact us withadditional questions or to schedule your next exam.