Oral Cancer Screenings Massapequa Park • Long Island
Two Minutes Could Save Your Life
This year alone, nearly 50,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer, and sadly, many will not survive the next five years simply because the disease wasn’t caught until it was quite advanced. Oral cancer is actually very treatable when detected early, which is why we perform a complete oral cancer screening as part of every regular dental checkup here at Smile Creations in Massapequa Park. The exam itself only takes a few minutes and is completely painless, but it helps save people’s lives every year.
Why Choose Smile Creations for Oral Cancer Screenings?
- Serving Massapequa Residents for More Than 35 Years
- We Use the Latest Dental Technology to Detect Cancer Sooner
- Dentists Partner with Numerous Local Specialists
What You Should Know About Oral Cancer
Oral cancer affects the mouth, neck, and head (excluding the brain). It can develop for numerous reasons, but the most common tend to be:
- Tobacco use (both smoking & smokeless)
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Poor oral hygiene
- Ill-fitting dentures (which can lead to inflammation that turns into cancer)
- An infection caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses
- HPV (Human papillomavirus)
- A genetic predisposition for oral cancer
Most of the causes listed above involve behaviors that can be modified (such as tobacco use), but more young, healthy people are developing oral cancer due to the rising rate of HPV. In fact, nearly 25% of all new oral cancer diagnoses are NOT tied to tobacco or excessive alcohol consumption.
The Symptoms of Oral Cancer
- A sore in the mouth that bleeds often and takes a long time to heal
- A swelling or thickening of oral tissue
- Rough or scaly patches of oral tissue
- Discolored areas of tissue that can be red or white
- A growth or lump on the neck
- Pain or numbness in or around the face
- Persistent hoarseness and/or sore throats
- Problems speaking or eating normally
- A change in the way the teeth fit together
- Sudden and dramatic weight loss
- Constantly feeling like something is caught in the throat
How an Oral Cancer Screening Works
While the symptoms above might seem like they would be extremely hard to miss, the early signs of oral cancer can actually be very subtle, not becoming obvious until the disease progresses. Dr. Mohr and Dr. Ariel have the training and technology to spot these early signs, so you can get the treatment you need right away.
For an oral cancer screening, we’ll examine your teeth, gums, lips, cheeks, tongue, throat, and neck visually and tactilely before using something called a DOE SE kit. It includes a specially designed fluorescent light and glasses that make cancerous and precancerous tissues that would normally be invisible to the naked eye stand out.
If we spot anything that causes concern, we can arrange for you to have a biopsy performed to see if you have cancer. From there, we can ensure that you get the care you need.
When caught early, oral cancer has a survival rate of around 85%, but that number drops to about 20% in the later stages of the disease. This is why we recommend every adult should have at least one oral cancer screening per year.
