Oral Cancer Screening

We take the extra steps to provide exceptional dental care by performing oral cancer screenings at your regular cleanings and exams.

Oral cancer kills more Americans than both cervical or skin cancer. Causes for oral cancer include the use tobacco, frequent consumption of alcohol, or frequent exposure to sunlight. However, one out of every four cases or oral cancer involve people who don’t have any of the risk factors, so regular checkups are a must!

Dr. Priti Naik may be your number one advocate in your fight against oral cancer is your dentist. In one out of every ten cases of oral cancer, the dentist notices a problem before the patient. While doing a regular checkup, the dentist will look in the mouth for smooth, painless, white or red sores. There may be other warning signs such as a sore that bleeds excessively and does not heal, a color change of the oral tissue, a big lump in the mouth, or pain or tenderness around the mouth.

There are two ways to detect oral cancer. One way is to do brush biopsy. This test is painless and uses areas that show no sign of cancer. It can also detect dangerous cells that are hidden in the early stages of oral cancer. The other option is a scalpel biopsy. This option may cause the patient to experience a little pain because suspicious areas in the mouth are tested.

All over the world, doctors are sponsoring different types of clinical trials. During these clinical trials, doctors are looking to find a way to treat oral cancer. People can volunteer to be a part of these. There have been some advances through research already more effective ways to treat oral cancer continue to be researched.

When a new method of treating oral cancer is found, those who have joined the clinical trials are usually the first to be tested. Even when a solution is not found, those who participate in the clinical trials help doctors narrow down their options to contain oral cancer and treat it. Researchers and doctors do their best to protect those who participate in the clinical trials, but there are some risks involved.

Currently, researchers are testing anticancer drugs as well as combinations of other drugs to find a cure for cancer. Also, they are testing to see if certain drugs can decrease or even stop the side effects of radiation therapy.