Oral Cancer Screening
Hassey | Do Duy Dental Associates performs an oral screening for mouth cancer during each routine dental exam and cleaning to ensure early detection.
Oral cancer is the general term given to all cancers that develop in the mouth, commonly involving the tongue, gums and lips. Cancerous cells may also develop in the lining of the cheeks and on the roof of a patients’ mouth. Chances of oral cancer are increased with the regular use of tobacco and alcohol, and are also escalated if a patient has a history of other cancer diagnoses.
As part of an oral cancer screening, Dr. Hassey and Dr. Do Duy will perform the following:
- Examination of the lining of cheek tissue, looking for suspect spots and oral cancer symptoms
- Painlessly probing gums to look for patchy or rough spots
- Inspecting the roof of the mouth for abnormalities
- Checking the neck, face, and jawline for irregularities
It may be necessary for our dentists to perform a brush biopsy. A painless procedure, a brush biopsy removes a microscopic amount of tissue for further examination. Our dentists will discuss the procedure and report the results with our patients in a helpful manner.
As with all major diseases, early detection is of the utmost importance for the treatment of oral cancer. Schedule your screening with our Methuen MA dentists today!
