Benefits of an Oral Cancer Screening

At JC Brown, DDS, we are concerned about more than just your teeth. We want to help make sure your entire mouth is as healthy as possible. Part of that concern extends to our fight against cancer, specifically oral cancer. And since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we thought we should talk a little about it.

Oral cancer is the most common of all head and neck cancers, being diagnosed in nearly 50,000 Americans every year. However, the number of people who actually develop it is likely much higher, because oral cancer often goes undiscovered throughout its early development. In fact, it is frequently only found once it has metastasized elsewhere, worsening prognosis significantly.

The main reason it goes undiagnosed is that it doesn’t usually manifest symptoms for some time. In the perceived absence of a problem, people don’t think to get checked. But even when symptoms do appear, they are often benign and might be written off, misinterpreted, or mistaken for common occurrences such as canker sores.

This is why getting screened for oral cancer on a regular basis is so important. It can detect the presence of cancer even before you notice symptoms or physical changes. Early detection dramatically improves prognosis and treatability. At JC Brown, DDS, Dr. Jackie Brown includes an oral cancer screening with your routine dental exam, to detect potential issues before they grow large.

To learn more about oral cancer screenings or schedule an appointment with our dentist, please call our Germantown, TN, office today. Getting screened could literally save your life.