Oral Cancer Screening Oral cancer may not be as well-known as other cancers, but every year, eight thousand Americans still die from it. At The Center for Esthetic Dentistry, we believe that these deaths are preventable with rigorous early detection, which is why we offer oral cancer screenings to all of our patients. The Benefits of Regular Oral Cancer ScreeningsOral cancer can be aggressive and move quickly through the body once formed, which is why it is so critical to be screened regularly. The survival rate over five years for patients with oral cancer is under 60%, and survivors are left with impediments that can severely impact everyday activities like talking and eating. That is why early detection is so crucial to successful preventive dentistry. Do You Need an Oral Cancer Screening?We think that everyone can benefit from receiving an oral cancer screening. Screenings are very simple and quick, so feel free to ask for one whenever you are at our office. However, there are certain risk groups that should be more aware of their heightened chance of developing oral cancer. Regular drinking, smoking, or chewing tobacco translates to a higher incidence of oral cancer, even if you are not currently doing any of those. By letting us know if you are in one of these risk groups, we can add it to your records so that a screening will be a standard part of every exam you receive. How Oral Cancer Screenings WorkOral cancer screenings are simple enough that there is nothing you have to do to prepare. During your visit, we will perform a combination of a visual and physical inspection to see if we can spot anything that seems amiss in or around your mouth. High-tech scanning equipment may also be utilized to give us the ability to see things that standard exams cannot turn up. Typically, all of this takes no more than five minutes. That means that it takes just ten minutes every year to receive your recommended two screenings - a small price to pay for peace of mind! After the ScreeningWhat happens after the screening all depends on what we see during the screening itself - but follow-up appointments do NOT mean that you have been diagnosed with oral cancer! Oral cancer is a serious condition, so we are very exacting when making any kind of a cancer diagnosis. We often ask for patients to return for further testing so that we can be absolutely sure about what we are looking at. The mouth is complex with many different interdependent parts. We may see something during the initial screening that turns out to be completely benign, but we can only determine this with more tests. Call Now to Schedule Your Screening!An oral cancer screening is one of the easiest and fastest things that you can do to help prevent a potentially lethal condition. To learn more about oral cancer and why we so strongly encourage all of our patients to get screened, call us at 541-507-0999 to schedule an appointment with The Center for Esthetic Dentistry today! |
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