When was the last time you had oral cancer screening? When performing oral cancer screening, the doctor checks for symptoms of cancer in your mouth. Doctors advise patients to have this type of cancer screening at least twice a year so that they can identify signs of mouth cancer early when there is a great possibility that it can be cured. In this article, you will learn everything that goes on during oral cancer screening.
How Is Oral Cancer Done?
First of all, it is important to mention that there isn’t any special preparation needed for oral cancer screening. Actually, this type of screening can easily be performed during your routine dental checkup. When performing oral screening, your dentist or doctor will examine the inside of your mouth to see if there are red or white areas or mouth wounds.
They will use their fingers to feel your mouth tissues. That way, your dentist will notice any lumps or other abnormalities in your mouth that could be signs of cancer. Your doctor may also examine your throat and neck to see if there are lumps or wounds.
Sometimes your dentist will do several special tests before they decisively rule out the possibility of having oral cancer. However, it is not clear if these additional tests have any other benefits over the ordinary oral examination. The special verbal cancer tests include:
- Oral cancer screening dye: This test involves washing your mouth with a blue dye before the examination. If there are any abnormal cells in your body, they will take up the blue dye and look blue.
- Oral Cancer Screening Light: This involves shining a special light in your mouth to check for abnormal cells and tissue. The light makes normal tissues in your mouth appear dark and abnormal tissues appear white.
If the doctor discovers signs of cancer in your mouth, they will make several recommendations. For instance, they will ask you to do a follow-up visit after a few weeks to see if the abnormal cells have grown or changed. Secondly, they might recommend you to have a biopsy procedure that involves removing a sample of the abnormal cells for lab testing to check if the cells are cancerous.
This procedure can be performed by your dentist or a doctor specializing in diagnosing and treating oral cancer. If you have any questions about oral cancer screening, get in touch with Dr. Kademani immediately.