Oral Cancer Screening at The Smile Center

3 minutes in a dental office can save your life!

Oral Cancer rates are on the rise!  The Smile Center offers VELscope Oral Cancer Screenings during our annual checkups.  When oral cancer is found in its earliest stage it’s 82% curable with proper treatment.

Chances are you don’t have Oral Cancer.  But wouldn’t it be nice to be sure?

• Oral cancer has 3 times as many victims as cervical cancer.
• One North American dies of oral cancer every hour of every day.
• The incidence of oral cancer is growing.
• The biggest growth in oral cancer is among young nonsmokers, and oral cancer is now linked to HPV.
• When oral cancer is discovered in early stages, the survival rate is very high.
• Oral cancer is discovered in late stages 70% of the time, and often it is simply too late.
• Health experts recommend that all adults receive annual oral cancer screenings.

Because of this risk to your health our practice has recently invested in a state-of-the-art VELscope System.  As part of our conventional oral cancer examination it can literally help us discover potentially dangerous tissue that we might otherwise miss.  Of course, the odds are that we won’t find anything that concerns us.  But, if we do, the VELscope device will increase our odds of finding it early rather than late.

An oral cancer examination takes very little time, involves no pain or inconvenience and is very affordable. 

In most cases the Velscope exam will indicate that there is nothing to worry about.  However, it is possible that some suspicious areas could be revealed.  In that case, it could very well be the suspicious-looking area is of little or no concern, such as if it is caused by biting the inside of your cheek or by irritation from braces or dentures.  If necessary, we may ask you to come back so we can take another look.  If the area has improved in the meantime, we will know that oral cancer is not involved.  If the area has not improved, we will recommend further exams which may include a biopsy that can be evaluated by an oral pathologist.  In the unlikely event that the biopsy reveals cancerous or pre-cancerous tissues, you will be referred for treatment.

Fortunately, the survival rate for oral cancer discovered at early stages is extremely high.  That is why it is so important that you have an oral cancer screening once a year, or twice a year if you smoke or chew tobacco.