ORAL CANCER SCREENING
Most people are surprised to learn that oral cancer is the sixth deadliest cancer in the world with approximately 35,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year in the United States and that early treatment as a result of earlier detection can improve patient survival rates from 50% to nearly 90%. Mouth cancer is far too often discovered in late stage development. This is the primary reason for the consistently high death rate.
One American dies every hour from oral cancer. Late detection of oral cancer is the primary cause that both the incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer continue to increase. Mouth cancer treatment often results in severe disfigurement, and can seriously compromise the quality of life for sufferers.
Early detection and diagnosis can make a tremendous difference in life expectancy; mouth cancer is 90% curable when found in its early stages.
The American Cancer Society recommends people have an oral cancer screening at least once a year. Early detection is the key to reducing the devastating impact of oral cancer on victims and their families. Annual oral cancer screening of patients at increased risk for oral cancer, patients age 18 and older, and tobacco users of any age, is the only way to achieve the early detection of oral cancer necessary to reduce the death rate of oral cancer.
We Care…
Regular dental exams can ensure that your oral status is checked and maintained. Did you know oral cancer is most readily detected on the sides of the tongue? At your dental exams and cleanings, the dentist and hygienist will perform an over all check of the tissues within and around the mouth to ensure complete health. When needed and also by request of the patient the doctor or hygienist will recommend the use of our VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System. We recommend all patients that use tobacco to have a yearly screening with the VELscope.
Elite Dentistry Center offers a state-of-the-art device called the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System. Along with our conventional oral screening exam, which includes looking inside your mouth for any lesions that might be visible we can use the VELscope to literally see beneath the surface to detect potentially dangerous growths we might have otherwise missed.
How the 2-Minute VELscope Exam Works
The VELscope exam takes about two minutes as part of a regular hygiene check-up, involves no pain or inconvenience, and is completely safe.The VELscope hand piece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, causing tissue fluorescence. Special, optical filtering in the hand piece allows us to immediately view the different fluorescence signatures in your mouth. The various flourescent colors differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Abnormal tissue, such as dysplasia or cancerous lesions, typically appear as irregular, dark areas that stand out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue.
VELscope's technology allows us to identify potentially dangerous growths that might have been missed with the naked eye. Miraculous isn't it? If you haven't been checked yet, we highly urge you to get checked out immediately. It is important to remember that the doctor does not necessarily think you have cancer if he suggests a screening test. Screening tests are given when you have no cancer symptoms. If a screening test result is abnormal, you may need to have more tests done to find out if you have cancer. These are called diagnostic tests.