Oral cancer is preventable, and the best way to ensure your oral health is with regular oral cancer screenings at Circle Drive Dental. Our experienced team knows just what to look for, and utilizes the latest technologies to assist with detection and accuracy.

During an oral cancer screening, our local dentist will use several different tools and techniques to examine your mouth and confirm the presence of any sores or discoloration. Our dentist will then conduct a tissue examination of your mouth, which consists of the dentist using his fingers to check for lumps or abnormalities. Symptoms related to an abnormality include:

• A lump or hard spot in your mouth
• Pain or numbness when you bite down on your teeth
• Red or white discolorations (usually in the shape of patches) in your mouth
• A sore or wound that doesn’t heal, and/or bleeds consistently
• Trouble chewing, swallowing, speaking, or moving the tongue or jaw
• A difference in the way the teeth meet when the mouth is closed
• A chronic sore throat, hoarseness, or a change in voice

If the dentist identifies one or more of these symptoms, or anything else of potential concern, a tissue sample is taken and sent to a specialized lab for analysis. The taking of a sample, even if it turns out to be benign, is a vital step in the fight against oral cancer. In fact, around 84% of oral cancer cases are subject to early detection by a dentist or oral health specialist.

There are two spots where oral cancer can appear: the oral cavity and the throat. The oral cavity consists of the lips, gums, cheek lining, tongue (front part), and the roof of the mouth (hard part). The term “throat” includes the back part of the tongue, the soft portion of the mouth’s roof, the place where the tongue attaches to the floor of the mouth, and the throat itself.

Even though a growing number of people have been diagnosed with oral cancer despite not having one of the classic oral cancer risk factors, it’s still far more likely that someone with oral cancer will demonstrate one or more of the following attributes, which increase the probability of oral cancer:

• Smoking or tobacco use
• Heavy alcohol consumption
• Unhealthy diet
• Prolonged sun exposure
• Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually-transmitted infection (STI)
• Gender: oral cancer affects more men than women
• Age: people over 40 are more susceptible to oral cancer

As mentioned earlier, even people who exhibit none of the above symptoms can still get oral cancer – it just doesn’t happen near as frequently. Nevertheless, it’s important for everyone to partake in regular oral cancer screenings, especially those aged 40 or older.

Our Rochester dentist offers years of experience with all forms of oral care, including oral cancer screenings. The earlier the signs of oral cancer I caught, the more treatable it is. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and a screening.