Oral cancer may not be something that you spend much time thinking about. But since it’s a type of cancer that appears more often in patients of all ages, getting annual screening from a dentist like Dr. Bruce Martinson and the team at Bruce Martinson Family Cosmetic Dentistry, is as important as your annual health exam. You can schedule a stand-alone appointment for oral cancer screening from our dentist in Wayzata, MN, or you can schedule an exam or tooth cleaning appointment where a visual oral cancer screen is always performed.
Facts About Oral Cancer
The Oral Cancer Foundation reports that over 50,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or oropharyngeal cancer this year, and of those diagnosed, almost 10,000 will be considered terminal. Here are some additional facts about oral cancer that we hope will prompt you to book an appointment with our dentist for oral cancer screening today:
- Early diagnosis can double a patient’s survival rate.
- Patients who develop oral cancer are at a 20 percent increased risk of developing a second cancer.
- Young people are just as susceptible to oral cancer as other age groups due to an increase in HPV.
- Even if you’ve never smoked, you are not immune from contracting oral cancer.
- Oral cancer kills more people than cervical cancer and testicular cancer combined.
- Symptoms of oral cancer can often go unnoticed at home.
It’s because of this last point that seeing a dentist for oral cancer screening can be a critical life-saver. The Oral Cancer Foundation reports that “one of the real dangers of this cancer is that in its early stages, it can go unnoticed. . . it can be painless, and little in the way of physical changes may be obvious” to a patient. However, our use of specialized equipment can reveal the condition.
Oral Cancer Screening Near You
Rather than concerning yourself with these facts about oral cancer, we invite you to book an appointment today with our dentist Wayzata for oral cancer screening or any of the other preventive dentistry services we provide at Bruce Martinson Family Cosmetic Dentistry. For years, our dentist near you has served residents of Mound, Long Lake, Spring Park, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Excelsior, Minnetrista and the surrounding communities.