Dental Cancer Screenings in Fenton, Michigan or Grand Blanc, Michigan

About 53,260 people will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer this year. That’s 145 people each day, or 1 person every 10 minutes.

Sonoma Dental Group offers dental cancer screenings as a measure of prevention and early diagnosis for oral cancer. As with most cancers, early detection offers the best hope for a cure. This service is an attempt to help people who may be unaware of the symptoms of oral cancer or who may not otherwise have access to a screening.

Who is at Risk for Developing Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer?

Most cases of this serious disease are linked to smoking, smokeless tobacco, excess alcohol consumption and the human papilloma virus (HPV). The risk is significantly higher in those who both drink significant amounts of alcohol and smoke or use tobacco products, in tandem.

A person’s age, diet and amount of exposure to the sun also increases their risk.

Oral cancer most often occurs in people over the age of 40.

A diet low in fruits and vegetables may also play a part in the development of oral or other cancers.

Prolonged sun exposure can cause lip cancer.

The Simple Oral Cancer Self-Screening

Here are 7 steps to self-screen at home in under 5 minutes.

• Examine yourself in the mirror with a bright light. Check for unusual swelling, lumps and bumps.
• Pay attention to your skin and note any changes in the color or size of sores, moles or other growths.
• Press your fingers along the sides and front of your neck. Do you feel any tenderness or swelling?
• Pull your lower lip out and look for sores. Use your thumb and forefinger to feel the upper and lower lips for lumps or texture changes.
• Examine the insides of your cheeks for red, white or dark patches. Gently squeeze and roll each cheek between your index finger and thumb to check for bumps and tenderness.
• Tilt your head back to check the roof of your mouth. Run your finger along the surface. Do you feel or see any unusual lumps or discoloration?
• Check out each side of your tongue. Look at the top, bottom, left and right sides of your tongue—including the soft tissue under it. Once again, check for swelling, discoloration or unusual lumps.

If you have questions about oral cancer, self-screening or anything related to optimum dental health, you should contact Sonoma Dental Group.

A person who has any of these symptoms for more than 2 weeks should consult a dentist or doctor for a comprehensive head and neck and oral cancer exam. Most often, symptoms like those listed above do not mean cancer. An infection or another problem can cause the same symptoms. Regardless, it’s important to have the symptoms checked out. If it is cancer, it can be treated more successfully if it’s caught at an early stage.

Every 90 minutes someone in the United States dies of oral cancer. That’s an estimated 10,750 people in 2020!

Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Dental Care

While we understand that many people wait to seek dental care due to anxiety, time, or finances, we do not recommend it. Instead, we suggest that you schedule a dental exam at least once every six months, even if you are not experiencing any discomfort. Doing so will allow us to remove any plaque or bacteria that is on your teeth, ensure that you do not have any cavities that are forming, and prevent you from experiencing gum disease. Our goal is to treat you before you have any health issues, and a dental checkup allows us to do so. We welcome you to come in so that we can protect and improve your oral health.