How much do you know about oral cancer? Have you recently been screened? Oral cancer is a very dangerous and even deadly cancer, not because it is hard to treat, but because it is often discovered too late in its development. Therefore, routine oral cancer screenings and education about the signs and symptoms of oral cancer are critical.
Oral cancer screenings are always considered part of your routine preventive care with us. Not only do our dentists have a keen understanding of mouth cancer, but they also utilize the latest technology available to detect it at its earliest and most treatable stage. At Exceptional Smiles, we perform painless oral cancer screenings using the FDA approved VELscope® oral cancer detection technology.
Identify Mouth Cancer Early
Oral cancer refers to a cancerous lesion or malignant group of cells anywhere in the oral cavity, including the tongue, cheeks, lips or back of the throat. While it is important to come in for an annual oral cancer screening at our office, we believe it is equally important to know how to detect suspicious symptoms at home.
Some of the most common warning signs of mouth cancer include the following:
- The development of red or white patches in the mouth or crusted lesions or lumps on the lips
- Unexplained bleeding in the mouth
- Sudden numbness or tenderness in any area of the face, mouth or neck
- Persistent mouth sores that do not heal within two weeks
- A feeling that something is stuck in the back of the throat
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing or speaking
- Hoarseness or chronic sore throat
- A change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together
Do you know your personal risk for oral cancer? Smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are the most common culprits to mouth cancer. We’d love to partner with you to protect you and your family from the harmful habits that can cause oral cancer. However, if a suspicious or cancerous lesion is detected, you can trust us to follow-up with attentive, state-of-the-art care.
VELscope Oral Cancer Detection
The VELscope® oral cancer detection device is an advanced technology that gives our dentists the necessary insight as to what is happening beneath the surface. It uses blue lamp fluorescence visualization (FV) to quickly and painlessly expose precancerous and cancerous cell changes in your mouth that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. It is a very simple, non-invasive screening that takes only a few minutes and could save your life.
To learn more about the symptoms of early mouth cancer or to schedule your oral cancer screening in Mayfield Heights, please contact Exceptional Smiles at Landerbrook today.
