When Should You Schedule An Oral Cancer Screening?

Oral cancer requires proper treatment and medications. Therefore, there must be proper care for oral cancer. One can ensure that there are no symptoms of oral cancer by scheduling regular dental checkups. Dentists will do screenings for oral cancer and see whether there are any symptoms of cancer or not. 

It is often said that one must go for oral cancer screenings regularly, but people are skeptical about how often they must go and when to visit dentists for oral cancer screenings. So, if you also have similar doubts, then you are in the right place. In this article, we will understand when you should visit dentists for oral cancer screenings in Van Nuys. There are various Van Nuys dental offices where you can visit and go for your treatments. 

Who Can Go For Oral Cancer Screening? 

When we talk about oral cancer screenings, then the answer is that everyone should go for oral cancer screenings. This is because this disease can develop in anyone regardless of age, gender, or other risk factors. However, some people are more vulnerable to this disease and therefore, everyone must visit the dentist for regular screenings. 

There are some important factors that also decide whether you should go for screening or not. The first factor is age because it is often seen that over the age of 40 years, there is high risk with age. Another factor that leads to a higher risk of oral cancer is smoking, tobacco consumption, and cigarettes. Excessive alcohol consumption can also weaken your immune system and increase the risk of oral cancer. In some cases, there is a family history of cancer and therefore, you must take care of this factor and consult your doctor as soon as possible. 

What are Recommended Screening Frequency? 

There must be proper screening of oral cancer and as per research, there must be screening on a timely basis. There are various factors that you must know. If there is a low risk of oral cancer then you can visit once a year for regular dental checkups. On the other hand, if there is an increased risk then there must be screening every six months. However, it would be recommended that you must consult your dentist before making any decision about screening. 

If there is a high risk of cancer like if there are multiple risk factors, then you may need screenings even more frequently for like every three to four months. It is very important to take proper recommendations from your dentist to determine the most appropriate screening schedule. 

What to Expect During Oral Cancer Screening? 

An oral cancer screening is a quick and painless procedure. However, you must be aware of some of its procedures. There will be a visual examination of your mouth, tongue, throat, and inside your cheeks. Dentists will check for any anomalies such as lumps, sores, or any other color changes. 

There will be a palpation check in which they will feel your neck and jaw area. They will see if there are any lumps or swelling. In some cases when there is high risk, then they can go for additional tests such as biopsies or oral rinses using some special dyes which is essential for further investigation. 

Doctors can also recommend some self-exams for people such as sores, lumps, white patches, red patches, bleeding, numbness, and loose teeth. If there would be early screening then it would be better for you to cure your disease. Therefore, you must go to an experienced dentist to see and check about oral cancer.