TL;DR
Stone Falls Dental Care screens for oral cancer as part of every thorough exam in its O’Fallon office. Dr. Prane looks at and feels your lips, cheeks, tongue, the floor and roof of your mouth, your throat and the lymph nodes in your neck. It takes a few minutes and involves no needles. Most spots turn out to be harmless, and a sore that lingers is rechecked before anything else happens. Anything that persists is referred for a biopsy. Between visits, any sore that hasn’t healed within two weeks deserves a call.
What happens during an oral cancer screening?
The screening is a visual and hands-on check of every soft surface in your mouth and the tissue around it. Dr. Prane looks for color changes, sores, patches and swelling, then gently feels for lumps or thickened areas that can’t be seen. Nothing is cut, and there are no needles.
You may be asked to stick out your tongue so the sides and underside can be seen, and to swallow while she feels your neck. If you wear dentures or a partial, you’ll take them out first, since the tissue underneath matters too. The practice has always made an oral cancer screening part of a thorough exam, so you won’t need to ask for it.
- Lips, inside and out
- Inner cheeks and gums
- Top, sides and underside of the tongue
- Floor of the mouth and the hard and soft palate
- Back of the throat and tonsil area
- Jaw, and the lymph nodes of the neck
What are the early warning signs of oral cancer?
The sign to remember is a sore, patch or lump in the mouth that hasn’t gone away within two weeks. Ordinary canker sores and bite injuries heal on their own in that time. Something that lingers deserves a look, even if it doesn’t hurt.
- A sore or ulcer that doesn’t heal
- A white or red patch on the gums, tongue or lining of the mouth
- A lump, rough spot or thickening of the tissue
- Hoarseness, a sore throat or the feeling of something caught in the throat that won’t clear
- Trouble chewing, swallowing or moving the jaw or tongue
- Numbness in the tongue, lip or another part of the mouth
- Pain in one ear without an ear infection
- A denture that suddenly fits differently
Who is at higher risk for mouth and throat cancer?
Tobacco and heavy drinking are the best-known risks, and the two together raise risk further than either one alone. That includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco.
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is now linked to many cancers at the back of the throat, including in people who have never smoked. Years of sun on the lips raise the risk of lip cancer, and the risk of oral cancer in general rises with age. Some people with no known risk factors develop it too, which is why everyone is screened, every time.
What happens if Dr. Prane finds something unusual?
Most of what turns up is harmless. Irritation from a sharp tooth edge, a rough filling or a denture that rubs can all leave a sore or a white patch, and these usually clear once the cause is fixed.
When the cause isn’t obvious, Dr. Prane will usually note the spot, photograph it and ask you back in about two weeks. If it’s still there, or it looks suspicious from the start, she’ll refer you to a specialist for a biopsy, a small tissue sample that gives a definite answer. She’ll explain what she saw and why, and you won’t leave wondering what happens next.
Why does finding oral cancer early matter?
Oral cancer found early is generally simpler to treat and has a better outlook than cancer found after it has spread. Early changes often cause no discomfort at all and are easy to overlook, which is exactly when a trained eye helps most.
That’s the case for keeping your regular exams and cleanings, even with healthy teeth. If you notice something between visits, don’t wait for your next checkup; request an appointment and tell us what you’ve seen. If you wear a denture that has started to rub or fit loosely, our page on dentures and partials explains when a reline or a new one is due.