Oral cancer screenings are a very important part of your preventative dental care with Dr. Angie Lee. With the proper technology we can pinpoint the start of potential problems much earlier in its evolution. Not all problems are reversible. However, you have a much better chance to reverse or slow issues before the problem has had time to progress if we can catch the issue early on.
Certain lifestyle choices can have a great impact on the health of tissues and your overall health in the mouth. If you are a smoker or heavy drinker, make sure to get regular screenings when you visit your dentist.
Most dentists perform an examination of your mouth during a routine dental visit to screen for oral cancer. Some dentists may use additional tests to aid in identifying areas of abnormal cells in your mouth. The goal with oral cancer screening is to identify cancer early, when there is a greater chance for a cure.
Please keep in mind that no single oral exam or oral cancer-screening test is proven to reduce the risk of oral cancer.
If you have abnormal sores in your mouth, don't jump to any conclusions right away. The majority of mouth sores are found to be noncancerous. An oral exam can't determine which sores are cancerous and which are not. If Dr. Angie Lee or your primary general dentist finds an unusual sore, it is recommended to go through further testing to determine its cause. The only way to definitively determine whether you have oral cancer is to remove some abnormal cells and test them for cancer.