April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and with that in mind, Drs. Robert and Mandy Shearer at Soddy Daisy Smiles are at work to help patients learn the facts and avoid the dangers.
Robert and Mandy Shearer“Our office screens patients during their biannual cleaning appointment,” Mandy Shearer said. “We have an amazing device called OralID, and its fluorescence technology uses a blue light that allows a clinician to identify oral cancer, pre-cancer and other abnormal lesions at an earlier stage, thus saving lives.”
When found at an early stage of development (stages 1 and 2), oral cancers have an 80 to 90 percent survival rate. The problem is that the majority of oral cancers are found in late stages (stages 3 and 4), resulting in a mortality rate of 43 percent at a five-year diagnosis (for all stages combined).
During a dental visit, your dentist can talk to you about your health history and examine all oral cavity areas for signs of mouth and throat cancer. The screening consists of a visual inspection of the mouth and palpation of the jaw and neck. Regular visits to your dentist can improve the chances that any suspicious changes in your oral health will be caught early, at a time when cancer can be treated more easily. In between visits, it’s important to be aware of signs and symptoms, especially if they are persistent, Robert Shearer cautioned.
The following are symptoms of mouth or throat cancer: