Find out how coming in for routine checkups could protect you and those you love from oral cancer.
Everyone assumes that oral cancer, just like most cancers, will never happen to them. Unfortunately, around 54,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year alone, and while it is more likely to occur in older adults over the age of 40 and twice as likely to impact men than women, our Jupiter, FL, dentists Dr. Steven Burman and Dr. Amanda Rodman are seeing an increase in younger individuals with oral cancer.
What are the signs and symptoms of oral cancer?
It’s important to know what to look for so you know when to come into our practice for an evaluation. While our Jupiter, FL, general dentists will perform oral cancer screenings on all patients during their six-month checkups, if you do notice any of these symptoms you should call us right away:
- A sore or ulcer that doesn’t go away
- Oral pain of any kind
- Red or white patches of the gums
- Bleeding or numbness in the mouth
- Pain or trouble swallowing or eating
- A lump or growth in the mouth
How does a dentist test for oral cancer?
As we said, oral cancer screenings are a normal part of everyone’s six-month routine checkups. When you come into our office for a visit, we will examine your entire mouth looking at all the soft tissue, including under the tongue and the roof of your mouth, to check for any changes in the tissue that could be early warning signs of oral cancer. If we notice a suspicious patch or growth, we may recommend having the area biopsied, which means that we will remove a small sample of tissue to have it tested for the presence of cancerous cells.
Our team uses Oral ID technology; a non-invasive, hand-held device which has a special light to help us identify tissue changes before they are seen during a traditional visual inspection.
Burman Dental remains on the forefront of technology to make visits as thorough, comfortable and pleasant as possible, while maintaining a high quality of care with early detection and minimally-invasive treatment.
Early detection is key to catching and treating oral cancer early. If it’s been more than six-month since your last dental checkup, or if you are noticing any signs of oral cancer, you must turn to our Jupiter, FL, family dentists at Burman Dental right away. Call us at (561) 404-4325.