Getting the Jump on Oral Cancer with VELscope

Oral Cancer Awareness Month, Part Two: Getting the Jump on Oral Cancer with VELscope

In our last post, we talked about how Dr. Jill Wade is using OralDNA to asses a patient’s risk for HPV-related oral cancer. In this post, we’ll take about a look at another great tool we’re using at Stonebriar Smile Design in Frisco. It’s called VELscope.

With VELscope, it’s possible for Dr. Wade to identify potentially cancerous tissue when it can be hard to make a diagnosis with the naked eye.

How Does An Oral Cancer Screening With VELscope Work?

VELscope is a fluorescence-based system that is painless and takes just minutes to complete. During your screening, Dr. Wade will simply shine the VELscope light in your mouth as she completes a thorough oral exam.  Under this light, healthy tissue glows green while tissue that may require a second look looks dark. That’s all there is to it. When combined with OralDNA, X-rays, and a traditional oral exam, VELscope can be one of the most effective tools used in the fight against oral cancer.

Do you want to learn more about oral cancer and how Dr. Wade can screen patients? Call our Frisco dental office today with your questions, or to schedule your next visit. We serve patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.

Oral Cancer Awareness Month

You might already know that April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, but do you know why spreading awareness is so important? It’s because oral cancer currently claims the life of one American every hour, taking more lives annually than cervical or skin cancer, among other urgent health conditions.

Part of what makes mortality rates so high is that many patients aren’t diagnosed until the disease is in its later stages, when treatment can be difficult. But at Stonebriar Smile Design, Dr. Jill Wade wants to help patients catch oral cancer early, when treatment can be effective. Which is why she uses two great tools to screen patients.

In this post, we’ll look at one of those tools: OralDNA.

How Does OralDNA Help Dr. Wade Diagnose Oral Cancer?

OralDNA helps Dr. Wade asses her patients’ risk for a very specific kind of oral cancer—oral cancer caused by HPV. Tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption are still the most common risk factors, but more and more cases are appearing in patients with none of these. In these cases, HPV is often the cause, in both women and men alike.

With OralDNA, Dr. Wade can easily screen you for HPV, and in particular, the HPV strains that have been linked to oral cancer. The test is simple, can be completed in a matter of minutes, and could save your life.

Want to know more about oral cancer screening with OralDNA? Call Dr. Wade’s Frisco dental office for questions and to schedule your appointment. We serve patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.