The rate of Oral Cancer continues to increase and claim as many as 3 times more victims as cervical cancer. One person dies from mouth cancer every hour of every day and there are about 100 new diagnoses each day in the US alone. Surprisingly, the highest growing incidence is in young non-smokers and is now linked to HPV, Human Papilloma Virus. The survival rate is high when oral cancer is found early, but this rate is very low when the diagnosis is in the late stage. Because of this risk, health experts advise that all adults be screened for oral cancer annually.
Riggs Family Dentistry has invested in a state of the art VELscope system so that we can detect potentially dangerous tissue changes early on. We can’t always detect these changes with the naked eye but our oral cancer screening light increases our odds of finding precancerous lesions early rather than late. This screening is painless, quick and affordable and is done along with your routine dental hygiene visit. Your oral health is the foundation to your overall health and often the first sign that something may be wrong. Please let us know if you have any questions about oral cancer or the VELscope system. We are here to help you any way we can.
What every person should know about oral cancer:
- Oral cancer has 3 times as many victims as cervical cancer
- One North American dies of oral cancer every hour of every day
- The incidence of oral cancer is growing
- The biggest growth in oral cancer is among young non-smokers, and oral cancer is now linked to HPV
- When oral cancer is discovered in early stages, the survival rate is very high, but when discovered late (which is normally the case), the survival rate is very low
- Health experts recommend that all adults receive annual oral cancer screenings
Because of this risk to your health, Riggs Family Dentistry has invested in a state-of the-art VELscope®system. As part of our conventional oral cancer examination, it can literally help us discover potentially dangerous tissue that we otherwise miss. Of course, the odds are that we won’t find anything that concerns us. But if we do, the VELscope device will increase our odds of finding it early rather than late.
An oral cancer examination with a VELscope screening takes very little time, involves no pain or inconvenience, and is very affordable. If you have any questions about oral cancer or the Velscope system, please let us know. Your oral health is the key to your overall health, and we want to help you in any way we can.
