Oral Cancer Exam / Screening

Oral cancer is easy for a dentist to diagnose and can be effectively treated when caught in its earliest stage. In order to catch cancer early on, it’s extremely important to visit the dentist for a checkup every six months. Oral cancer is a pathologic process that starts with an asymptomatic stage. During the asymptomatic stage, cancer signs may not be very apparent. This is why oral health examinations are so important. There are different histologic types of oral cancer, which include teratoma, melanoma, and adenocarcinoma. There are many places in the maxillofacial and oral cavity region where oral cancers commonly occur. These include: Lips Tongue Mouth Gums Salivary Glands Oropharyngeal Region (throat) Face

Oral Cancer Exams, Diagnosis, and Treatment During the visual part of your exam, your dentist will check for abnormalities. They will feel your face, glands, and neck for unusual bumps. Lasers are an excellent tool for oral cancer checks. The lasers are able to “look” below the surface for abnormal lesions and signs that are invisible to the naked eye. If lesions, abnormalities, leukoplakia, or lumps are apparent, your dentist will put together a treatment plan. If the initial treatment plan doesn’t work out, a biopsy will be performed. Your dentist will check if the basement membrane of the epithelium is broken to determine if there is oral cancer. Malignant types of cancer can spread to other places in the maxillofacial and oral regions. This poses additional threats. Treatment methods will depend on the diagnosis. These may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and excision. During your regularly scheduled cleaning and checkup every six months, your dentist will look for any lesions or signs of cancer. You should also book an appointment yearly to check for oral cancer.