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Oral Cancer: Knowledge and Early Detection is Your Best Defense

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Nearly 35,000 Americans contract oral cancer each year. Some of the best ways to protect yourself from oral cancer is through, good oral hygiene, regular dental check-ups and learning the warning signs of cancer.

Detected early, the recovery and cure rate is very good.

It goes without saying that tobacco increases your risks for all kinds of cancer, but did you know that African Americans are a third more likely to contract oral cancer than a Caucasian? And that the gap between women oral cancer patients and males over the last half century has closed from a 6 to 1 ratio to 2 to 1? Or that the number of people with oral cancer under the age of 40 is 5 times higher than it was just a few years ago?

All of these questions point out that despite warnings on every front, oral cancer—a cancer that is predictable and curable—is on the increase.

Take these precautions to help prevent oral cancer:

• Practice good oral hygiene by brushing after meals, flossing daily, and seeing your dentist twice a year
• Conduct a self-exam watching for white or red spots on the tongue, mouth surfaces, and lips
• Have suspicious spots or sore places checked by your dentist
• Stop using tobacco products
• Limit alcohol intake
• Learn the risk factors and symptoms of oral cancer
• Don’t fall victim to thinking that if you’ve never used tobacco or alcohol you won’t get cancer—anyone can get cancer!

With just these few precautions, you greatly reduce your risk factors for contracting oral cancer.

Learn more about your risks here.

How ViziLite Plus Works for Detecting Oral Cancer

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Most people are willing to accept any type of diagnostic test that can help in the finding or preventing of cancer. However, that doesn’t mean that the patient should be left in the dark about how the test works. ViziLite is a new instrument used by the dental community for the purpose of early cancer detection.

In order to understand how ViziLite works, one must first grasp the changes that oral cancer causes.

When normal cells become cancerous, the nuclear DNA within them begins to replicate very quickly, which overloads the cell with the nuclei. A staining solution dries the cells out, which makes it easier to view changes within them. A low-intensity light wand is then passed over the surface of any potentially affected areas to check for changes to the nuclei. Abnormal cells will actually glow under the light, making them stand out from the crowd of normal cells.

The staining solution and light wand should cause no discomfort to the patient. Thus, the test is truly non-invasive and has proven very successful at recognizing potential dangers. TBlue, the stain can be applied with an easy three swab method, so it is used only in the areas of the mouth to be tested.

ViziLite is just one example of the numerous ways the medical and dental communities are working toward early detection and treatment of cancer. With this diagnostic aid, dentists can be quicker to react to potential problems and patients have a better chance of overcoming a cancerous outbreak.

Learn more about this dental tool here

What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?

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Have you been considering breaking into the field of dentistry? Did you see an interesting job posting and want to know more?

Whatever you reason for expressing curiosity, there is much to learn about the position of dental hygienist before making the decision about whether the career is right for you.

The title of dental hygienist requires a special license. Though local regulations will place carrying limitations on what this professional can and can’t do, in most cases, he or she will work under a dentist and perform teeth cleanings, dental sealants, fluoride treatments, scaling and root planing in patients diagnosed with periodontal disease.

In addition to this, the dental hygienist is generally the person that the dental office who will give advice regarding proper oral hygiene.

This professional must pass a rigorous dental hygiene program, which results in an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree, offered by a school with ADA (American Dental Association) accreditation. Then he or she must go on to successfully complete licensing exams offered by the state in which he or she intends to work. This will involve both written board and clinical board exams.

There is much that this person must do. He or she plays an integral role in the regularly scheduled appointments of patients and must keep very detailed data on the status of the patient, while determining if and when other tests – such as x-rays – should be done. These recommendations are generally passed on to the dentist, who will make the final call.

Want to know more about these professionals? Keep reading here