20 Apr When Was Your Last Oral Cancer Screening?
You don’t need to have obvious risk factors to benefit from an oral cancer screening. You don’t even have to be over 40. Oral cancer rates have been rising steadily, especially in younger people. Here’s why we make oral cancer screenings part of every routine exam.
What Are the Main Risk Factors for Oral Cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates roughly 58,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year. Since most cases occur in people over 50, age is the main risk factor. But smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption, and HPV infections are major risks as well.
Smoking increases the risk of oral cancer by 10 times. Combined with alcohol use, smoking raises the risk by 15 times. And vaping isn’t any safer. Cigarettes and vapes both contain carcinogenic ingredients. In fact, vaping is just as likely as smoking to cause oral and lung cancers.
Oral cancer rates have also been climbing in younger adults, possibly due to HPV infections. If you’re under 45, ask your doctor about the HPV vaccine. Getting vaccinated should eliminate the risk of oral cancer from HPV.
Oral Cancer Screenings During Dental Exams
Many people are surprised to learn that oral cancer screenings are already part of a thorough checkup. Your dentist doesn’t only check your teeth for cavities. They also examine all the soft tissues in your mouth, including your tongue, cheeks, gums, lips, and throat.
The early signs of oral cancer can be easy to miss: a small sore, a red patch, or trouble swallowing. That’s why dentists are often the first to notice something is wrong. Because they see you every six months, even small changes will stand out during an examination.
Here’s what a screening typically involves:
- A visual inspection of the lips, gums, tongue, and inner cheeks
- An examination of the roof and floor of the mouth
- Feel along the jaw and neck for unusual lumps or tenderness
- A closer look at any sores, red patches, or white patches that haven’t healed
- Digital scans, including X-rays or CT scans, to show lumps and abnormalities
The whole process takes just a few minutes and is included in one of your exams each year.
Do I Need an Oral Cancer Screening?
Getting familiar with your own mouth is a genuinely useful habit. Most people don’t pay much attention to what the inside of their cheeks or the underside of their tongue looks like, so changes go unnoticed.
Here are five warning signs worth bringing up with your dentist:
- A sore in your mouth that hasn’t healed after two weeks
- A red or white patch that wasn’t there before
- Unexplained pain, numbness, or tenderness in the tongue or cheek
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving your jaw
- A lump or thickening in your throat or neck
These symptoms don’t automatically mean oral cancer, but they do mean something could be wrong. Getting them evaluated as soon as possible is always the right move.
Comprehensive Oral Health Care in Sun Lakes
April is oral cancer awareness month, and it’s a good reminder that daily habits matter more than most people realize. Smoking, vaping, and alcohol use are the biggest risks. Sun exposure is a risk factor for lip cancer. And diet plays a role, too, since some foods may help fight oral cancer.
But the best thing you can do to reduce your risk is to get regular screenings during your dental exams. Oral cancer claims the lives of more than 12,000 people every year. In most cases, it’s because the diagnosis came too late. Early detection means the cancer can be treated while it’s still localized. And routine dental visits are one of the most effective methods for early detection.
If it’s been a while since your last checkup, contact us to make an appointment. Our team is here to make every visit comfortable and to provide the thorough, attentive care you deserve.
Photo by Ubaid E. Alyafizi on Unsplash used with permission under the Creative Commons license for commercial use 4/13/26.