As it turns out, a dental checkup does more than just clean teeth and gums. Dentists also use the visit to perform an oral cancer screening. After all, cancerous growths can occur inside your mouth (among other places). Without proper treatment, they could then severely lower your oral health. If you’d like to learn more about this screening, your Simpsonville practice can give you the details. Here’s a summary of how a dentist diagnoses, prevents and treats oral cancer.
Diagnosing Oral Cancer
When assessing you for oral cancer, a dentist will use lights and other tools to check your mouth’s tissues. If they find relevant signs, they’ll diagnose your condition according to one of four stages:
- Stage 1: This stage occurs when a tumor is less than 2 centimeters in diameter. It’s also one that doesn’t reach the lymph nodes.
- Stage 2: Second-stage oral cancer involves a 2-to-4-centimeter tumor. Like the first stage, it doesn’t reach the lymph nodes.
- Stage 3: At stage three, the mouth tumor is either larger than 4 centimeters or has spread to the neck’s lymph node.
- Stage 4: The most advanced stage of oral cancer, its tumor has spread to nearby tissue, one large lymph node, and even distant body parts like the lungs.
Preventing Oral Cancer
Regardless of symptoms, a dentist may explain how to prevent mouth cancer as part of the screening.
They’ll likely suggest you avoid or quit tobacco as a prevention method. You see, cigarettes, cigars, and similar items raise your risk for oral cancer. By using such products regularly, you might make the disease inevitable.
Similar concerns apply to heavy sun exposure. Unless you apply SPF lip balm, getting too many UV rays can cause cancerous tumors in your lips.
Treating Oral Cancer
If a dentist determines you have oral cancer, they’ll partner with your physician and suggest treatment options like:
Oral Surgery
A doctor can treat early oral cancer with surgery, which removes the tumor and any cancerous lymph nodes.
Radiation Therapy
Per its name, this therapy aims radiation beams at a tumor once or twice daily, five days a week, for 2 to 8 weeks. It’s normally reserved for advanced cancer stages.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy attempts to kill cancer cells with various drugs. Typically, said medicine is given either orally or through an IV line. Most patients get it on an outpatient basis, though some cases require hospitalization.
In the end, an oral cancer screening ensures your mouth is healthy. Therefore, make sure to get one as part of your next dental checkup!
About the Practice
Tylan Creek Family Dentistry is based in Simpsonville, SC. As led by its talented team of dentists, our practice provides quality care for the whole family. Therefore, we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, not to mention emergency dental procedures. Our office is even a certified provider of ClearCorrect invisible braces. No matter the dental need, then, we’ll get the job done right! For more information or to book a visit, reach us on our website or call by phone at (864)-962-6671.