Sedation Dentistry DC Helps Thousands of People Relax For Oral Cancer Screening

Many thousands of dentists are now using comprehensive oral cancer screenings on a patient’s first visit and then on each annual visit as a precautionary measure against oral cancers, especially on those patients who smoke or use chewing tobacco, both of which could have a devastating effect on mouth cancer.

Most people, at one time or another in their lifetime, will experience tiny red or white spots in their mouth.  These tiny spots typically do not contain unhealthy cells, however only laboratory tests can tell for sure.

The best dentists in Washington, DC will use a special hand-held brush to take a small sample of tissue from the suspicious lesion or tiny red or white spot.  The sample will then be placed on a laboratory slide and shipped off to a laboratory where computers, using advanced robotics, scanning and imaging technology, precisely examine the thousands of cells in the sample.  The computer compares each individual cell with its libraries filled with normal cells and abnormal cells and determines which cells are potentially difficult or may need treatment.  This technology was originally developed for the defense industry and has been proven extremely accurate at detecting cancerous cells.

The laboratory will send the dentist a report stating if the cells are normal or positive. If it is positive, the dentist will follow up with a standard incisional biopsy to confirm.

This hand-held brush biopsy and computerized laboratory system allows a dentist to quickly, painlessly and reliably detect oral cancer at the earliest and most treatable stages.  A person may not be able to see a small white or red spot or sore in their mouth themselves and they may not be able to feel it either, therefore annual checkups are very important.  And if you are one of the millions of people afraid of the dentist, ask for sedation dentistry DC in which the dentist administers a mild sedative to make you feel more comfortable and at ease with being at the dentist’s office and with what is happening.

If you notice tiny spots in your mouth that don’t seem to go away after a week or so, then make an appointment with your dentist because early detection is the best defense against oral cancer.