Today’s periodontal problems, cavities, teeth bleaching and getting a dental crown, are not the only things that you should be aware of when it comes to dental care. Oral cancer, or cancer of the soft tissue of the mouth, is on the rise.
When it is caught early by your dentist or periodontist, oral cancer can be cured. In fact it is one of the most curable diseases when it is caught in early stages. In just a few minutes one time a year, people can now protect themselves. When found early, oral cancer treatment is 90 percent successful.
The American Cancer Society says there’s a 5.5 percent increase in new cases of oral cancer, along with a 1.5 percent more in deaths associated with oral cancer.
In case you are wondering if you might be at risk for oral cancer. The answer is, yes, almost anyone can be at risk. 25 percent of oral cancers occur in people who do not smoke and have no other lifestyle risk factors. Patients who are at high risk include anyone age 40 plus with certain lifestyle risk factors including the use of tobacco, heavy alcohol use (two ounces of alcohol three times per week) and the human papilloma virus (HPV). In other words, virtually anyone is at risk.
Oral surgeons and dentists can use new dental screening technology, along with a visual exam, to determine if people have oral cancer. Quick and painless, an annual oral exam is performed just after a regular visual examination by your dental professional. It could even be a part of a regular periodontics examination.
Dentists can use new products on the market like ViziLite Plus, a cancer screening technology. First the patient rinses with a cleaning solution, and then the dental professional examines the patient’s mouth using ViziLite, which is a specially designed light technology. In case there’s a lesion, it is marked with what is called a T-Blue blue dye, and then documented.
According to oral surgeons, it works. “I am now incorporating the new screenings with most of my at risk patients, said Dr. Bijan Afar, whi is a Los Angeles oral surgeon. “Specifically we can detect oral abnormalities such as premalignant lesions and oral cancer.”
Today, there’s no reason not to ask your own periodontist dentist about this simple, potentially life saving screening exam.
