Oral Cancer Awareness Month – The Importance of Oral Cancer Screenings

Let’s raise a little awareness about Oral Cancer screening. It just might save more than your smile!

What starts out as a harmless and tiny white or red spot or sore could easily be the sign of something much worse. After all, it’s not exactly easy to tell the harmful ones from the harmless ones, which is exactly where oral cancer screenings come in.

Because April is Oral Cancer Awareness month, now is the best time to remind you just how important oral cancer screenings are when it comes to preventing oral cancer.

What Is An Oral Cancer Screening?

Oral cancer screenings are visual and physical examinations of the oral cavity and connected tissues. The examination is often conducted as part of a routine dental examination. This means that visiting your dentist regularly can help reassure you that you’re at no risk of oral cancer. Or, at the very least, increases the chances that it’s caught and treated early on.

Oral cancer screenings typically involve two phases: the visual and the physical examination.

During the visual examination, the dentist checks your face, neck, lips and insides of your nose and oral cavity for any signs of oral cancer. Specifically, a dentist will look for swellings, bumps, patches of unusual color, and ulcerations. To see inside the mouth much more clearly, dentists will usually use a light and mirror and in some cases, they may have to use a tongue depressor to hold the tongue down to take a better look at the back of the mouth.

Once the dentist is finished with the visual examination, the dentist will then proceed with the physical examination. This usually involves feeling the head and checks, as well as areas around the jaw, under the chin and in the oral cavity. This time around, dentists will be looking for unusual nodules or masses, as well as immobility in normally mobile tissues and pain where it shouldn’t be.

Because an oral cancer screening is precautionary in nature and not diagnostic, the screenings will need to be done regularly. Even more so if you frequently smoke tobacco, drink alcohol or coffee regularly, and use illegal drugs.

If the dentist sees anything abnormal during the examination, you may be asked to undergo further tasks to get an exact diagnosis. This is done to eliminate other possible combinations. And, if cancer is found, you don’t need to be afraid, as the earlier the oral cancer is detected and treated, the better your chances for recovery will be.

Visit Your Dentist Today!

You don’t need to be nervous about going through an oral cancer screening. As mentioned earlier, it’s usually done as part of a routine dental examination. Besides, you should really look forward to the examination. After all, it is your chance to talk to your dentist about any fears and concerns you might have regarding oral cancer. You can also take it as a chance to learn more about oral cancer, especially on how to lower your risk for it.

Remember, as simple and as short oral cancer screenings may be, they can easily be the difference between life and death. Call your local Greensboro dentist, Dr. Graham Farless, today to schedule an appointment for an oral cancer screening at 336-282-2868. Also visit our website for more information at www.gsodentist.com.