Oral cancer can appear throughout the mouth, including on your lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, the roof of your mouth and other soft tissue surfaces. It can also develop further back in your throat, which doctors call oropharyngeal cancer.
(smoking, chewing and dip)
(human papilloma virus)
(higher risk over 40 years old)
During your oral cancer screening, your dentist will visually examine your mouth and surrounding areas. Using lights, mirrors and other tools, they can check areas of your mouth that are otherwise too difficult to see. They are also trained to locate more subtle signs of cancer such as asymmetrical features inside and outside the mouth.
With modern technological advances, dentists also have a wide array of cancer-detecting tools. Specially designed lights can highlight potentially cancerous spots and cleaning rinses can improve the inspection process. This equipment is only used to enhance the visual and physical examinations; it’s never used as a replacement for tried and true detection methods!
When a dentist completes an oral cancer screening, they won’t immediately say whether you have oral cancer. They may wish to monitor the condition of your mouth and they may ask you to come back for further testing. Please understand that this does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. Discovering oral cancer can be complicated. The doctor might simply want to keep an eye on your oral condition to make sure that more serious symptoms don’t appear.
Remember that when caught early, oral cancer has an 80 to 90% survival rate. Oral cancer can seem like a scary thing, but we encourage you to come to us with any concerns as soon as possible. Early detection and lifestyle changes will help ensure the best possible outcome. So be sure to ask the dentist or the hygienist for your annual screening!
