Oral Cancer Screenings in Ellicott City, MD

Oral cancer, or mouth cancer, is any cancer that develops in your oral cavity. Oral cancer can affect your gums, the roof of the mouth, tongue, chin areas, and even the surrounding neck and ear areas. If you’re an adult aged above 40, you should get screened for oral cancer frequently.

The more proactive you are about your oral health, the easier it is to catch any problems early enough while there’s still enough time for successful treatment.

Our Dentistry offers comprehensive oral cancer screenings to patients in the Ellicott City area. If you live in Ellicott City and are looking for oral cancer screenings near you, give us a call today.

What Happens During Your Appointment?

Our dentist will visually examine your oral cavity, neck, and chin areas to check for signs that may be indicative of precancerous conditions. Such symptoms include lesions, white or red patches, bleeding, difficulty when swallowing, swellings or lumps, and mouth or throat pain.

If you’re showing any of these signs, our dentist will refer you to an oncologist or cancer specialist doctor to get a biopsy. A biopsy is required before a person can be diagnosed with oral cancer, as oral cancer screenings aren’t diagnostic on their own.

If the biopsy shows that you have cancerous cells in your mouth, you’ll get started on treatment. Oral cancer may be treated using drugs or chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.

Benefits of Oral Cancer Screenings

As with other types of cancer, you have better chances of successful treatment if oral cancer is detected early. We encourage our patients to book yearly oral cancer screenings if they’re above the age of 40. If you’re between ages 20 and 40, oral cancer screenings every three years should suffice.

The frequency of your oral cancer screenings may change based on the discretion of our dentist and your unique circumstances. For instance, if you have a family or personal history of (oral) cancer, you need to schedule more frequent screenings to stay on top of things.

Even when you’re not a high-risk candidate for oral cancer, getting screened for the same gives you the contentment of knowing that your oral health is as excellent as it should be.

Would you like to schedule your oral cancer screenings in Ellicott City? Call the Julian Center for Comprehensive Dentistry today. We screen our patients for oral cancer in a clean and sterile environment that’s also friendly and welcoming.