Oral Cancer Screenings

Keeping an Eye Out for Oral Cancer

The point of regular checkups with your dentist is to keep your smile healthy, most importantly by preventing common dental health issues from forming. However, some issues, such as oral cancer, can’t be prevented, though detecting it early can dramatically improve your chances of successfully treating it. Therefore, during every routine dental visit, Dr. Browne will perform a comprehensive oral cancer screening to check for abnormal areas of tissue on the tongue, esophagus, throat, cheeks, and other oral tissues. Affecting nearly 50,000 new patients every year, oral cancer is one of the more common forms of cancer, and screening for it is vital to ensuring your good oral and overall health.

Screening for Signs at Home

Screening for signs of oral cancer every six months significantly improves your chances of treating it, but you can enhance those chances even further by performing self-examinations at home at least once a month. While standing in front of a well-lit mirror, open your mouth wide and check for signs such as:

• Rough patches of skin on your cheeks, palate, or other tissues
• White or red patches that may or may not itch
• Changes in the color and/or texture of your tongue
• Sores that do not heal after several days
• Ulcers, lesions, and other growths, especially those that bleed

Defeat Oral Cancer By Catching It Early

If you also notice that chewing and/or swallowing have become difficult, or that you consistently exhibit a sore, painful throat, then it may be an early indication of oral cancer development. To schedule a visit with Dr. Browne, contact our office today at (913) 901-8585. Our office is located on the south west corner of 75th and State Line at the Crossroads of Prairie Village, Waldo, Brookside, Mission Hills , Leawood and Overland Park, just minutes from I-435 and State Line as well as I-35 and 75th Street.