You mustn’t express surprise if informed by your dentist; they will also perform oral cancer screenings during routine dental exams and cleanings. In reality, the exams and cleanings enable the dentist near you to look for signs of oral cancer. Oral cancer screenings early are beneficial because treating you early for oral cancer delivers optimal outcomes if you have the condition in your mouth.
A visit to the dentist in Port Charlotte, FL, at least once a year is essential to keep your mouth healthy. Many health professionals debate about themselves how often you must get oral cancer screenings. Some believe you must get evaluated for oral cancer if you are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Some factors making you likely to develop oral cancer include:
- Use of tobacco with smoking, using snuff, or chewing dip.
- Indulging in excessive alcohol consumption.
- Undergoing an oral cancer diagnosis earlier.
- Extensive exposure to sunlight making you vulnerable to lip cancer.
- Some varieties of human papilloma virus-associated with oral sex.
- Chewing betel liquid.
You can inquire with your dentist whether you need oral cancer screening if you indulge in any of the above habits.
What Happens During Oral Cancer Screening?
You will likely receive a basic exam from the Port Charlotte dentist who looks at all the parts of your mouth, including the insights and outsides of your lips, gums, and your tongue from the sides and beneath. The insides of your cheeks, the roof of your mouth, and the back of your throat are also evaluated during the exam. If you are a denture wearer, you must remove them to enable the dentist to check the tissue beneath them.
Dentist Punta Gorda inserts a finger in your mouth and under your tongue. A couple of fingers on the skin under your chin are also placed to move them around and feel the tissue between them. The dentist may also feel underneath your jaw. The exams are not concerning and are completed in merely five minutes.
The exams aim to identify lumps and spots in your mouth and check for any abnormalities about the saliva covering the pink tissues inside your mouth. If you observe any irregularities in your mouth yourself, you can contact your dentist for an evaluation. In-depth screening tests are performed by dentists giving you a rinse with blue dye before the exam. Any abnormal cells in your mouth absorb the pigment making it easier to identify them.
What If There Are Indications of Oral Cancer?
If your dentist discovers anything unusual, they may request you to schedule an appointment in a few weeks to examine the abnormalities and verify if anything has changed. You may receive a suggestion to undergo a biopsy when a small piece of tissue is taken from the area looking troublesome and sent to a lab to test for cancer cells. The Murdock dentist might perform the biopsy or refer you to a surgeon who can.
Remember, not every spot or lump detected by the dentist may be cancerous. However, if they find a malignant tumor in your mouth, researching for treatment options allows you more choices. Oral cancer screenings are merely preventive examinations performed by dentists during routine exams and cleanings. That it simply requires five minutes indicates you won’t even realize it until the dentist points out they are looking for signs of oral cancer.
On your part, you must thank dentists for including oral cancer screenings with regular dental exams. When doing so, dentists allow you an opportunity to stay away from a devastating condition claiming many fatalities in America and throughout the world. Better still, you are not visiting an oncologist to have yourself examined for oral cancer but are receiving the screening from your dentist as a complementary gesture.
Have you ever wondered what the situation would be if the dentist discovered cancer cells in your mouth? You will undoubtedly express gratitude to the dentist for detecting a severe issue and preventing anxiety and expenditure that would indeed occur to you. If you wish to stay away from oral cancer without indulging in any spending, you merely need to attend six-monthly dental exams and cleanings to achieve your goal. We are confident you accept our view and will incorporate your dental visits into your schedule right away.