Screening for oral cancer at our dental office saves lives
Oral cancer is a severe disease. Fortunately, the survival rate formouth cancer patients improves significantly when detected early.
Your dentist will likely be the first to spot early signs of oral cancer. During dental exams, we check your mouth to identify lumps, sores, and other precancerous and cancerous signs.Ready for a life-saving oral cancer screening in Miles City, Montana? Please schedule an appointment with Yerger Family Dental.
Signs of oral cancer
Oral cancer manifests in your oral cavity and oropharynx. Mouth cancer, sometimes called oropharyngeal cancer, affects your lips, cheeks, tongue, palate, throat, and tonsils.
The common symptoms of mouth cancer include:
- Mouth sores or lesions that don’t heal
- Unexplained lump in your tongue or mouth
- White patches (leukoplakia) in the lining of your oral cavity
- Pain while swallowing
- Mouth and ear pain
- Sore throat that doesn’t respond to treatment
While anyone can develop mouth cancer, some people are at an increased risk than others. Heavy alcohol use, smoking, age, and infections with HPV increase the chances of developing mouth cancer. However, when it comes to oral cancer assessment, patients of all ages should be screened because mouth cancer doesn’t spare anyone.
How a dentist performs oral cancer screenings
Drs. Chase Yerger and Diana Stewartadvise patients to book dental appointments at least twice a year. While dental exams involve scrutinizing your mouth to detect cavities, gum disease, misalignments, and other anomalies, we screen your mouth to spot obvious and hidden signs of mouth cancer.
Oral cancer screening can invoke anxiety, especially when you don’t know what to expect. The reality is that an oral cancer exam is painless and fast. Here is what it involves.
Physical and visual examination: We scrutinize the inside of your mouth, including your tongue, gums, and mouth lining, to detect abnormal sores and lumps. We also use gloved hands to feel lumps in your neck or throat that could be cancer
When we spot abnormal signs, we will ask you for a follow-up visit to ensure whether the abnormal area is present or has changed over time. Additionally, we may request you to book a biopsy appointment with a doctor specializing in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Book your appointment today for mouth cancer screening
Yerger Family Dental is an excellent one-stop shop for all your family’s oral care needs. We offer comprehensive preventive dental care, including oral cancer screenings. Has it been years since you were last screened for mouth cancer? Have you seen signs of possible oral cancer?
Please call (406) 233-1241 to book your oral exam today. We are also accepting new patients in Miles City, MT, and the surrounding areas of Colstrip, Forsyth, Jordan, Circle, Wolf Point, Terry, and Baker, MT.