Oral Cancer Screening
Every year in the US, 50,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer. But that’s not all. Every hour of every day, one American adult dies from oral cancer. Luckily, there is a way to catch oral cancer before it’s too late. You can undergo an oral cancer screening.
The Screening Process
Your doctor will complete a physical exam of your mouth and teeth. With gloved hands, they will feel inside the mouth for signs of irritation and swelling. Indicators doctors look for when performing a screening, is for abnormal red or white tissue and patches. An exam may be performed using light to check for infected white tissue.
Sometimes, a mouth rinse is used to detect oral cancer cells. After rinsing, infected cell tissue will appear blue in color. A biopsy may be used to submit to further testing, if diseased tissue is found. A biopsy includes taking a sample of tissue and cells in the mouth that are not typically present in a healthy mouth. Our team is equipped with the tools to make a proper diagnosis and inform you about the next steps.
