What is an Oral Cancer screening?
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and we thought it was important to address. At Advanced Dentistry by Design, we continually look for diagnostic advances to ensure that we are providing the optimum level of oral healthcare to our patients. Oral cancers can easily go undetected because early symptoms are painless and almost impossible to see, even for a dentist.
At Advanced Dentistry by Design, we use a special device called the VelScope, which utilizes phosphorescent light and looks for changes in the tissue. The exam is painless and takes just minutes. Any area of concern will show up as black under the blue-green light.
In the past, individuals who used tobacco were the most likely to get oral cancer, but that is no longer the case. The Oral Cancer Foundation states the fastest growing segment is now non-smokers ages 25-50, and HPV (human papilloma virus) is now one of the dominant causes. Like every cancer, the key to survival is early diagnosis. When detected early, the survival rate can be 80 to 90 percent. The test itself takes about 3 minutes and is included in our new patient exam. Please call us today, to schedule your new patient exam and oral cancer screening with the VelScope.