Oral cancer kills thousands of Americans every year, even more than testicular, cervical and brain cancer. Yet the condition remains cloaked in mystery. Avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption can reduce your risk of developing oral cancer, but it’s not enough. Early detection and treatment is the best way to protect yourself.
Carrollton dentist Dr. Proctor provides regular oral cancer screenings as part of his preventive dentistry services. Dr. Proctor uses the advanced, FDA-approved VELscope® oral cancer detection system to identify cancerous changes in the mouth at their earliest stages.
What is VELscope®?
VELscope® is a lamp with a bright blue light that highlights cancerous and precancerous cell changes. Symptoms of oral cancer can be difficult to detect because they are similar to symptoms of common mouth diseases. The VELscope® lamp helps detect lesions invisible to the naked eye and identifies changes happening beneath the surface.
VELscope® is better than traditional cancer screening in many ways:
Quick, non-invasive examination
Detects problems that are invisible under white light
Detects precancerous and cancerous tissue, lesions and colored patches
Confirms whether diseased tissues were completely removed
Scans can be combined with digital images, edited and transferred.
The system is approved by the FDA.
What to Expect at Our Practice
Oral cancer screening with VELscope® is painless and takes about 2-3 minutes. First, a routine visual examination of your mouth, cheeks, tongue, and surrounding areas will be performed. Next, you will wear glasses to protect your eyes from blue light. Then the lights in the room will be dimmed for a better view. You open your mouth and the scope is shined inside. Through the scope, healthy tissue appears green, and possible areas of concern show up as dark spots.
Learn more about advanced oral cancer screening at Dr. Proctor’s office. Call 972-492-2866 now or schedule a consultation online.
