It’s easy to think of dentistry as solely dedicated to keeping your teeth healthy. While this is certainly true — and why we emphasize brushing and flossing — there is more to the field than this. When you visit us for checkups and cleanings, we also conduct an oral cancer screening, in addition to examining for other oral diseases. By practicing this sort of preventative care, we are much more likely to catch issues while they are small and address them before they get worse. In today’s blog, your Cedar Rapids, IA dentist discusses oral cancer and what we look for during screenings.
The Basics Of This Disease
Even if you are young, in good health, and have no family history of oral cancer, it can still affect you. Because it can befall anyone, regularly examining your mouth is essential for preventing it. Like most health-related issues, staying vigilant is crucial, and you should remain consistent in your efforts to fight it. Whenever you come in for a checkup — or any other procedure — we will thoroughly examine your mouth for abnormalities. There are numerous things we look for, including abrasions, bleeding, sores, discoloration, and really anything that looks out of the ordinary.
If anything does look amiss or you mention any issues you’ve been having, we can conduct an oral biopsy. For this, we take a small tissue sample from your mouth and send it to a lab. There, they will test it for cancer or other diseases. Depending on what the lab reports, we will either suggest treatment for dealing with whatever they find or we will continue to monitor the affected area each subsequent visit as well.
Preventative Care Keeps You Healthy
While oral cancer is a particularly extreme issue that can affect your mouth, there are other problems that can arise. From decay to infection to trauma, your teeth can undergo a lot, but practicing preventative care helps you stay on top of things. The best, simplest things you can do are brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day and floss each evening. Moreover, regularly scheduling and attending checkups can bolster your preventative habits by allowing a trained professional to examine your smile. When you come in every six months, we can help you make sure your teeth are not only clean but that there are no larger issues looming. It is always better to catch problems early before more damage occurs. Plus, the more involved procedures cost more than simpler ones, so this is the more wallet-friendly option.
Schedule Your Preventative Appointment Today
If you have more questions about proper preventative care or oral cancer, please contact Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA by calling 319-364-7108 to schedule an appointment.
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