Oral Cancer Screening
Marlton & Turnersville, NJ
Oral Cancer Screening provided by Dr. Gail Childers
in Marlton & Turnersville, NJ at Periodontal Health Professionals
 Oral cancer screening is an exam that periodontists carry out to find out any precancerous condition or cancer symptoms in your mouth. The main intention of performing an oral cancer screening is mouth cancer detection. Early detection, when there are higher chances of treating cancerous lesions, is optimal. The screening is primarily conducted during your regular periodontist check-up. The periodontist will perform an oral cavity examination of your mouth, looking for swellings, ulcerations, color patches, asymmetries, bumps, or other oral abnormalities. They assess your jaw, cheeks, face, lips, neck, oral cavity, and inside your nose. Visit Periodontal Health Professionals to acquire more information about oral cancer screening tests and procedures.
The Importance of Oral Cancer Screenings
Screening for oral cancer has various benefits. First, it assists in the identification of precancerous lesions that cause mouth cancer. Early diagnosis of these lesions is essential since removing them is easy, and the patient heals completely.
Oral cancer is a dangerous condition that manifests in the mouth cavity. Oral cancer screening is the primary approach to the prevention of oral cancer. It is an approach to prior detection of a disease and a process in the examination stage in diagnosing the disease. The periodontist looks for signs of cancer like bumps using oral cancer examination tools and visually. They also use their hands to feel around the oral cavity.
There has been a significant increase in people diagnosed with throat and mouth cancers in the last few years. This is mainly attributed to the use of tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and snuff. In addition, extreme sun exposure increases lip cancer risks. Heavy alcohol use and a previous oral cancer diagnosis can also raise oral cancer chances.
Be Aware of Signs of Oral Cancer
Oral cancer or pre-cancer signs show at the sides of the mouth, tongue surface, mouth floor, palates, and the back of the throat. Self-screening at home helps save one's life. Checking on yourself will prompt you to call the periodontist if you notice when something is amiss. Using clean hands and pulling your lips out, carefully examine all the surfaces of the gums and lips. You can use a flashlight to check the inside of the cheeks while feeling them with your hands. Check the floor of the mouth and the tongue while sticking it out. Do not forget to assess the palates and the throat.
If you notice any lumps, bumps, or lesions growing at any place of the mouth, red or white spots with pus and clearly defined borders growing from the normal tissue or ulcers, you should contact our periodontist immediately. Regular screening at home will enable you to notice signs early and help make an early intervention. Self-screening could be done after brushing in under two minutes.
Oral Cancer Screening Preparation
You don't need any kind of special preparation for your oral cancer screening, as your periodontist can carry out the screening during your regular dental visits.
Professional Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer screening usually occurs at the periodontist during regular visits or if a patient has reported having concerns. During a regular cleaning, the periodontist will examine the mouth to assess for signs of oral cancer such as any mouth sores or red or white patches. The periodontist will feel your mouth tissues for anomalies and bumps.
The periodontist will use a flashlight and dental lenses to carefully examine the mouth. They might use technical instruments like x-rays to check for any possible infection. These images could also be used if one exhibits signs of oral cancer to check for the extent of the infection. Enhanced assessments like fluorescent lights to check for suspicious tissues and oral fluids enhance the visual assessment.
After Oral Cancer Screening
In case the periodontist detects any precancerous lesions or mouth cancer signs, they will suggest you have a follow-up visit within the coming weeks to find out your progress. They will check if the affected area still exists and whether it has changed or grown gradually. If need be, your periodontist will advocate for a biopsy procedure where they extract a sample of cells and take them to the laboratory to check out if cancer cells are there or not. You may also be referred to a specialized doctor in oral cancer for additional treatments.
More on Oral Cancer
It is important to note that oral cancer is a preventive or precautionary measure, not a diagnostic or treatment approach. After screening, patients should continue maintaining good hygiene and self-screening at home. Patients should also avoid tobacco use and drinking alcohol and eat a balanced diet. Suppose one has been diagnosed with the illness. In that case, it is important to avoid tobacco use and alcohol consumption during treatment as this aggravates the disease and results in more side effects after chemotherapy. These habits also make healing very lengthy and difficult. Once the periodontist has diagnosed, they will send you to a specialized professional for intense testing and treatment. It is imperative to visit the periodontist regularly for screening, especially if one has risk factors for developing the disease.
Get Your Oral Cancer Screening Scheduled Today!
If you have any concerns about oral cancer, visit Periodontal Health Professionals to schedule an oral cancer screening appointment and learn how you can reduce the risks involved and continue to maintain optimum oral health. Call us today at (856) 702-4340 to learn more about the services we offer. |
