Oral Cancer Screening And Detection Specialist

What happens during an oral cancer screening?

During an oral cancer screening, your Post Oak Dental team begins by looking inside your mouth for sores, white patches, or red patches visible to the naked eye. Next, they feel inside your mouth and palpitate around your throat and neck for lumps.

In conjunction with conventional intraoral and extraoral head and neck examinations, Post Oak Dental increases the precision of its screening procedure with two key pieces of technology.

First, Post Oak Dental examines your mouth tissue using the VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral System. The VELscope is a handheld device that shines a light on natural tissue to detect cancerous and precancerous lesions before they become visible to the naked eye.

Next, the practice uses a small, portable handheld light called OralID® to look deep into your oral cavity for cancer or precancer. The OralID shines a blue light into your mouth. When it meets healthy tissue, it glows a fluorescent green. Any abnormal tissue will appear dark.

VELscope and OralID are both safe, non-invasive, radiation-free devices.

How often should I undergo oral cancer screening and detection?

Oral cancer screenings are an important part of preventive health care. Post Oak Dental recommends that you undergo oral cancer screening at least once a year. 

To help encourage you to keep oral health at the forefront of your mind, at your second appointment during any calendar year, Post Oak Dental performs an additional oral cancer screening for free.

Why is oral cancer screening and detection important?

By consistently receiving screenings, you give your dental team the best chance to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions while they’re still easy to treat. 

It’s important that you start these screenings while you’re fairly young. Dentists used to only find signs of oral cancer in middle aged and older adults. However, oral cancer has recently been on the rise in younger patients as well, a change that doctors believe is linked to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). 

Take control of your present and future health today. To schedule an appointment for oral cancer screening and detection, reach out to Post Oak Dental online or over the phone today.