At My Fairfax Dental our dentist performs an oral cancer exam during a regular dental checkup using the FDA-approved VELscope®, an examination tool to help detect oral cancer in its earliest stages. The VELscope® is a blue excitation lamp, which highlights precancerous and cancerous cell changes. The healthy soft tissue of the mouth naturally absorbs the VELscope® blue light. The Healthy areas beneath the surface of the soft tissue show up green, and the problem areas become much darker.
Oral cancer is often deemed the “forgotten disease,” because it kills more people than testicular cancer, cervical cancer and cancer of the brain each year and receives little publicity in return. Each year, over 30,000 Americans contract oral cancer, and only 57% of these people will live for more than five years without treatment.
Regular dental exams are crucial in helping to identify any soft and hard tissue abnormalities of the oral cavity and surrounding structures of the head and neck area.
You can contact the office of Fairfax, VA Family and Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Hang Le either schedule online, by phone or text to make your dental appointment now.
