What Does the Dentist Look for in Oral Cancer Screenings?

While your bi-annual deep cleaning is incredibly important to your oral health, one of the most beneficial aspects of seeing a dentist on a regular basis is the oral cancer screening. To learn why you should never skip a dental visit, and what the risk factors are for oral cancer, keep reading.

What Does the Dentist Look for in Oral Cancer Screenings?

When you come in for your regular preventive care visit, you probably look forward to having your teeth deep cleaned and nicely polished! That’s an important part of the visit, but we also screen you for early signs of oral cancer. This entails checking your mouth for any abnormalities that we can see or feel. Things like red or white patches in the mouth, or any apparent sores which would be cause for concern. Additionally, the dentist will use a gloved hand to feel around your mouth, cheeks, tongue, and even the throat and neck. Any lumps or abnormalities would need to be explored further in order to rule out oral cancer.

What Are the Risk Factors for Oral Cancer?

As with all cancers, anyone can end up with oral cancer. However, there are some risk factors. Alcohol and tobacco use, poor diet, and genetics are among the significant risk factors for oral cancer. Recent evidence has shown an increasing proportion of oral cancer is HPV related, especially in young adult patients. Catching oral cancer early is very important to the long term outcome, so be sure to keep up with your regular checkups.

Preventive Care in Oakboro, NC

The key to great oral health is preventive care! Here at Oakboro Family Dentistry, we want our patients to have healthy smiles that last a lifetime. That’s why we put so much emphasis on prevention and early detection of dental and oral health issues. To get on our schedule for a visit, just give our office a call. You can also request a visit by clicking the contact link.

Categorised in: Oral Health, Preventive Dentistry