One of the disturbing facts about oral cancers is that it is entirely treatable in its early stages. When oral cancers are left untreated, they have an adverse effect on chewing, speech, swallowing in addition to other whole-body symptoms. Every dentist serves as the first line of defense in helping patients to have the opportunity to detect cancer early. Hence, Dr. Chua takes seriously the responsibility to identify lesions that may be cancers.
Silver Smile Dental Commitment To Patients
Silver Smile Dental uses VELscope as a tool to screen patients for oral abnormalities. However, VELscope is only a part of our dental exam, and we utilize it to enhance examination thoroughness. During the cancer screening phase of our examinations some of the action we take include:
- Systematic visual checks of soft mouth tissues
- Inspection of the tongue (base & borders via digital exam)
- Checks of oral cavity and neck lymph nodes
Silver Smile Dental is primarily concerned with offering each of our patients the highest standard of care possible by making use of the best technologies available.
Understanding How VELscope Works
In full transparency, VELscope does not diagnose cancer. Instead, it helps us to identify soft tissues that have abnormalities. Some tissue defects are not visible to a basic visual exam. VELscope excels in this regard because it illuminates legions resting on the surface and underneath tissue layers that are experiencing changes in composition. By using Velscope as a part of our oral examination for cancer screening, we are more confident in fulfilling our responsibility to the health of our patients.
Cancer screenings are a vital part of your medical and dental check-ups. If you ever question a sore or odd patch in your mouth, call us to schedule an appointment to investigate it.