Oral Cancer

People can get lesions, sores or spots in their mouths for a variety of reasons and many times these sores go away on their own and pose no problem. However, if you have a sore or spot in your mouth that has been there for more than two weeks, it's important that it be evaluated.

As your dentist, I routinely screen you for oral cancer by carefully examining your mouth, tongue and neck. If I find anything suspicious, I may refer you directly to an oral surgeon or physician for further evaluation or I may screen any suspicious spot or sore in my office (describe the adjunctive screening device you may use). If I conduct a screening in my office, it can help me determine whether a referral is indicated.

The screening we conduct in our office is just a screening... not a definite diagnosis... only a surgical biopsy can confirm if a lesion, spot or sore is oral cancer.

The best way to prevent oral cancer is to avoid risky behaviors including tobacco and alcohol use.