Screening for Oral Cancer for Alexandria, VA
During your regular visits to Williams & Patterson Family Dentistry, your dentist always conducts an examination of your mouth. While he is certainly looking for common problems like tooth decay and gum disease, your dentist is also checking you for any signs of oral cancer. Oral cancer does not receive the same level of publicity as other types of cancer, but this disease is still potentially deadly. Over 10,000 new oral cancer cases are diagnosed in the United States every year.
Oral cancer can affect patients of any age and gender. Smoking and heavy drinking increase your risk for the disease, but these habits are not always present in oral cancer patients. Many oral cancers are very treatable with good success rates, but early detection is crucial.
If you notice any lesions, sore spots, or bleeding in your mouth, call us right away at (703) 960-1160. Otherwise, you can rest assured that our dentists are always on the lookout for oral cancer whenever you come in for an examination.