The numbers are staggering. Oral cancer is estimated to kill one person every hour, 24 hours a day. There will be about 54,000 newly diagnosed cases this year and only a little over half of them will be alive in five years.
This number has not improved in decades.
That’s why early detection is vital. Many pre-cancers and cancers can be found when they’re still small during routine oral exams and a technological advancement is making it even easier for our office to detect potentially cancerous tissue at the earliest stages.
At Chestnut Ridge Dental we believe that our patient’s total oral health doesn’t stop with just filling cavities. That’s why we have the VELscope device that provides us with an advanced FDA-approved examination system specifically for the early detection of abnormal tissue in your mouth.
Here’s how it works.
A handheld VELscope device is used to examine oral tissue and detect changes that occur when abnormalities are present. The handpiece emits a safe blue light that will cause the tissue to glow brightly – called fluorescence. The doctor can view the different fluorescences to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Under examination, abnormal tissue typically appears as an irregular, dark area that stands out against the otherwise normal, green fluorescence pattern of surrounding healthy tissue. The device even helps detect abnormal tissue below the surface that might not be apparent until the disease progresses to the surface.
Early detection is key.
Only about a third of oral cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stages. That’s because few advances have been made in screening techniques, especially in detecting problems in below-the-surface oral tissue. With the VELscope device our office has significantly increased our ability to detect abnormalities in our patients. The American Cancer Society stresses the importance of early detection saying that screening increases the chances of discovering certain cancers at a time when they are most likely to be curable.
More than just teeth, Chestnut Ridge Dental manages your complete oral health. Call us today or click below to schedule an appointment and to talk to us about how we can safeguard your family’s health with advanced cancer screening using the VELscope system.
At Chestnut Ridge Dental we are a proud Delta Dental provider and also accept a wide range of other insurance. Serving Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County, NJ and the surrounding communities of Upper Saddle River, Saddle River, Montvale, Ramsey, Park Ridge, Ridgewood, Paramus, Hillsdale and Westwood.
