Oral Cancer Screenings in Quincy, MA
Although you wouldn’t normally equate dentistry with life-saving procedures, a dentist often saves patients’ lives by being observant. During routine examinations, they can spot symptoms of diseases that the patient may not know about. One life-saving exam they do is oral cancer screenings.
What do Dentists Look for During Screenings?
When oral cancer develops, the patient may not be aware of it because it has few symptoms. However, dentists can sometimes find signs of it when examining a patients’ mouth. Some of the signs include:
- A red or white patch on tissues of the mouth, gums, tonsils, or tongue
- A thickening or lump on your cheek
- A persistent sore throat that doesn’t heal or feeling that something is in your throat
- Jaw swelling
- Loose teeth
- Lump in the neck
- Bad breath
To check for lumps or thickening tissues, our dentist at Quincy Dental Associates will feel along your neck, then the inside and outside of the cheeks, lips, mouth, and look inside the back of your throat. Along with oral cancer, our dentist in Quincy, MA, will check for signs of throat cancer on the back of the tongue or the opening of the throat.
Oral Cancer Types
Unfortunately, oral cancer is not rare, and there is more than one type of it. In fact, there are four main types of oral cancer, one benign, and then there is also mouth, throat, and lip cancers that our dentist at Quincy Dental Associates can detect during a routine examination.
The types include:
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Verrucous carcinoma
- Minor salivary gland carcinomas
- Lymphoma
- Benign oral cavity tumors
If found in an early stage, stage one or stage two, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer is between 70 and 90 percent. The rate of survival drops to 60 percent when averaging in stages three and four. To verify that you have cancer, other tests may be necessary, so our dentist near you in Quincy, MA, will advise you to see your doctor as soon as possible.
If your throat feels like there is something in it, your breath smells bad, or your voice sounds hoarse, and it doesn’t get clearer, then you need to talk with your physician about the possibility of oral or throat cancer. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better the chances it can be cured.
Other Services
Our dental practice welcomes new patients of all ages from Quincy, MA, and the surrounding areas of:
- Braintree |
- Milton |
- Wollaston |
- Weymouth