Why Should You Undergo Oral Cancer Screening?
As the name suggests, Oral Cancer Screening involves oral screening of the patient to look for any cancer symptoms. A dentist can diagnose the possibility of any cancer early once the screening is performed. The earlier it is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can be initiated for the patient having oral cancer. If the symptoms have already started to appear, cancer can have started its spread already. Screening helps the dentist to understand whether the patient is susceptible to oral cancer or not. If you undergo an oral cancer screening, it does not mean that you have oral cancer or the dentist thinks that you have oral cancer. Oral cancer screening is usually performed when there are no cancer symptoms in the patient.
What to expect during the oral cancer screening process?
Many think oral cancer screening is going to be a painful process. However, it is not so. The screening could even be performed during the routine dental process. At the beginning of the screening process, the dentist will visually examine the mouth. It checks for the presence of any sores and white or red patches in the tongue, cheeks. A dentist will also check for a bump in the tongue. Finally, the dentist will use gloved hands to check for abnormalities in the mouth’s tissues that the dentist cannot assess during the visual examination.
Even though sores in the mouth and patches are common, it is not necessarily a symptom of oral cancer. It is difficult for a dentist to differentiate whether a sore is cancerous or non-cancerous. So if they feel something unusual during the oral examination of the patient, the dentist will remove some of the samples and send them for detailed testing. By undergoing a routine professional dental cleaning process, you could keep oral diseases such as oral cancer away from you.
Symptoms You Should Not Ignore
There are a few symptoms which you should not ignore. Some of them are given below.
- Blisters or Mouth Sores
- Red or white patches that occur in cheeks
- Lump in the cheek or tongue
- Feeling of numbness in any area within the mouth
- Chronic sore throat
Why should you go for regular dental screening?
Not visiting a dentist increases the chances of diagnosing and treating oral cancer. Because by the time you visit a dentist, cancer may have started its spread already. If you go for regular screening, they will be able to detect the presence of oral cancer in the early stages itself. Also, if you have a smoking habit, a regular oral cancer screening is highly recommended. Need Oral Cancer screening? Get in touch with your nearest dentist in Justin, Texas.
