At your regular active maintenance (recall) appointments your dental operator will perform a routine oral cancer screening or check. We look intra-orally (inside the mouth) and extra-orally (outside the mouth) at the soft tissues as well as gently palpate these areas to make sure there are no abnormal lumps or bumps. If we find anything suspicious it is does not always mean it is cancer. Your dental operator will take you through any abnormalities step by step whether it is benign or malicious.
We want to check that there are not abnormalities and that everything appears to be functioning properly. For example, we also check that your salivary glands are producing saliva normally and your temporomandibular joint (TMJ or jaw joint) has no issues.
An oral cancer screening is not there is scare you. It is there as a precautionary measure and as part of your routine appointment.
For some more information regarding risk factors of oral cancer please read the fact sheet below. If you ever have any questions or concerns, then please do not hesitate to contact us, or ask at your next appointment.