Oral Cancer Screenings (Velscope®️) in Salem, MA
When getting an examination of your teeth at our dentist’s office in Salem, MA, our dentists at Salem Dental Group will do more than look for tooth decay. They will also check the soft tissues of your mouth for signs of diseases and do an oral cancer screening with a Velscope®️.
Symptoms of Oral Cancer
Most patients who get diagnosed with oral cancer by their dentists haven’t had any symptoms of it. While symptoms may not be noticeable at first, some people may think they have symptoms of other conditions. For instance, people who may have symptoms like ear or mouth pain may think they have an ear infection, or something is wrong with their teeth, which is why they make a dental appointment.
If you see these symptoms, you need to contact your dentist or physician for a checkup:
- Sores on the lips or mouth that don’t heal.
- Hard lumps inside the mouth or on the tongue.
- A red or white lesion on the inside cheek.
- Difficulty or pain when swallowing.
If caught in its early stages, oral cancer is curable.
What is a Velscope®?
The Velscope®️ is a diagnostic tool that our dentists at Salem Dental Group use during their oral cancer screenings. It consists of a blue light that excites epithelial cells and stroma during the examination. If the tissue looks florescent, then our Salem, MA dentists know that the patient may have cancerous cells.
The Velscope does not diagnose cancer, but it can help dentists find areas with suspicious tissues that our dentists should investigate. The tool has a high accuracy rate for detecting pre-cancerous or cancerous cells, even though diagnosis requires further testing, such as a biopsy.
Along with oral cancer, dentists may also find evidence of throat cancer in some patients. Many of the symptoms of throat cancer are the same as oral cancer, but also include:
- Changes in the voice
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
- Coughing
If you have an oral cancer screening using a Velscope®️ by one of our dentists at Salem Dental Group in Salem, MA, and they suggest a biopsy, contact your physician right away. The sooner you get a cancer diagnosis, the more likely you are to get a positive outcome. Give us a call today!