At dntl bar, all our routine services come with a full dental exam & this exam includes an oral care screening at no additional cost to you. On this week’s blog post, we are outlining what a routine dental exam entails & why getting an oral cancer screening is so important.

What is a routine dental exam?

At dntl bar, a routine dental exam is a full in-depth evaluation of your teeth and gums.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that most people should get two routine exams per year. Your dntl bar dental professional will advise you if they think you may need more than two cleanings & exams per year. The people who require additional teeth cleanings and exams may have more delicate oral health issues that need a little extra care, and maintenance. These routine dental exams are important for protecting your oral health and overall health as complications may become more severe if left untreated.

Routine dental exams are used for much more than just caring for the teeth. These routine cleanings and exams are used to look out for tooth decay, disease in the mouth, and can detect early oral care issues. If an issue does arise it is best to catch it as early as possible to prevent the problem from spreading or becoming more serious. This is why ever dntl bar exam includes an oral cancer screening.

What is an oral cancer screening?

An oral cancer screening looks for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. Traditionally, by the time symptoms appear in a person, the disease may have already begun to spread.

There is an extensive protocol screening procedure established by the Oral Cancer Foundation to detect the disease. Its objective is to identify small changes in the following:

• The lining tissues of the mouth, lips, cheeks
• The roof of the mouth
• The area under the tongue
• The spots behind the wisdom teeth
• Your throat
• Your tongue

How does it work?

During your routine exam at dntl bar, the clinical team will perform an oral cancer screening. These screenings are fast and painless. The actual screening itself only takes a few minutes. This screening performed can detect the disease as early as stage 2.

At dntl bar, we do this as apart of all routine dental exams, as a preventative care step.

If your oral cancer screening test result comes back abnormal, you may need to have more tests done to determine if you do in fact, have oral cancer.

Why is it important?

It’s extremely necessary to keep up with dental and dental hygiene appointments, outside of just keeping up with good oral hygiene. This is because your routine dental exams are much more than just cleaning your teeth.

Your oral cancer screening is also an opportunity for you to speak with your dental professional about questions and concerns surrounding mouth cancer. You may come prepared with questions and seek advice for lifestyle changes recommended by your dentist. It’s completely normal to be nervous about the idea of oral cancer, but regularly participating in this quick and painless screening will put you in the know, and your mind at ease.

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Resources +

https://spottingcancer.org/cancer-screening-and-testing/oral-screening/
https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/patient/oral-screening-pdq
https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/evidence-based-dental-research/oral-cancer-guideline
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/oral-cancer-screening/about/pac-20394802