The American Cancer Society estimates that oral cancer strikes tens of thousands of Americans each year. Only about 56 percent of those diagnosed with oral cancer will survive more than five years. The reason these statistics are so grim is that oral cancer is often detected in its later stages. But when it’s detected early, before the disease spreads to destroy healthy tissue, the chances of survival are greatly improved.
How do we detect oral cancer?
Because early detection is vital to surviving oral cancer, we will perform a thorough oral cancer screening each time we see you in our office for an exam.
We’ll feel for lumps or abnormal tissue changes on your neck and inside your mouth. We’ll also thoroughly examine the soft tissues in your mouth, especially the most frequent oral cancer sites: your tongue, the floor of your mouth, your soft palate, your lips, and your gums.
