Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

One person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day in the United States. However, it is now easier than ever to detect oral cancer early, when the chance for a cure is high. Only half of all patients diagnosed with oral cancer survive more than five years, but with early detection, the patient has an 80% to 90% survival rate.

• It can affect any area of the mouth including the lips, gum tissue, cheek lining, tongue and the hard or soft palate.
• Alcohol use combined with smoking greater increases risk.
• Oral cancers can occur in people who do not smoke and have no other known risk factors.
• The death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development.
• Found early, while still Localized (confined to the primary site), oral cancer's five-year survival rate is good: about 83%. Only 33% of all oral cancer discoveries fall into this category.
• Found while Regional (progressed to regional lymph nodes) the five-year survival rate drops significantly, to about 55%. Approximately 46% of all oral cancer discoveries are Regional.
• Found late, oral cancer's five-year survival rate is poor: approximately 32%. This accounts for approximately 14% of all oral cancer findings.
• Close to 37,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day. Of those 36,000 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years.
• Very recent data (late 2007-2008) lead us to believe that the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population are non smokers under the age of fifty.

If there is a concern with a particular area, a biopsy may be recommended as a preemptive measure. Most biopsies result in benign findings, but if further treatment is required, the dentist will provide you with your options. Diagnosing and eliminating cancer in it's earliest stages minimizes it's spread, and ultimately saves lives.

At Dream Smile Dental, with the addition of the VELScope, we can become aware of suspicious areas in the mouth, before they even grow into a lesion. Ask us for more information on the VELScope!

Early Detection of Oral Cancer can Improve Treatment Success

You may be surprised to learn that one American dies every hour from oral cancer. This death rate has remained virtually unchanged for over 40 years. In fact, while the incidence and death rates for cancers in general have decreased, the incidence of oral cancer has increased by 5.5% and the death rate has increased by 1.5%

Often, oral cancer is discovered too late in stage development, which is the main reason for the consistently high death rate. Therefore, oral cancer treatment often results in the patients being disfigured which can seriously diminish their quality of life. Early detection and diagnosis is imperative in increasing life expectancy; it is 90% curable when found in the early stages. However, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in the late stages.

Did you know that the death rate in the United States for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin's disease, cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney, or ovary? More than 30,000 Americans will receive an oral cancer diagnosis this year. In five years, only 57% will still be alive. Also, 27% of oral cancer victims do not use tobacco or alcohol and have no other lifestyle risk factors.

Early detection is the key to successful treatment and increasing life expectancy. At Dream Smile Dental, our practice has incorporated VELscope, the most powerful tool available for assisting in the discovery of oral abnormalities.

The VELscope's blue-spectrum light causes the soft tissues of the mouth to naturally fluoresce. Healthy tissues fluoresce in distinctive patterns, and these patterns are visibly disrupted by trauma or disease. Using the VELscope, a wide variety of oral abnormalities can be discovered often before they're visible to the unassisted eye.

With the addition of the VELScope, we can become aware of suspicious areas in the mouth, before they even grow into a lesion. Ask us for more information on the VELScope!

On Friday, October 1, the VELscope system will be featured in a story about oral cancer detection on the extremely popular "The Dr. Oz Show".  The theme of the show:  "A Trip to the Dentist Could Save Your Life."
 
As you may know, Dr. Mehmet Oz came to fame as a result of his frequent appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show".  His popularity and credibility became so great that he now has his own show, which is syndicated nationally in the U.S. and is shown on CTV in Canada. 
 
Long time VELscope user Jonathan Levine, D.M.D., P.C. appears with Dr. Oz. They discuss in detail the sobering facts about the incidence of dangers of oral cancer and the need for earlier detection.  Dr. Levine then explains the advantages of the VELscope and demonstrates it on a patient.  
 
With recent publicity surrounding Michael Douglas's announcement that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 oral cancer, public awareness of the need for earlier detection of this deadly and disfiguring disease is at an all-time high.  Interest in oral cancer screenings--particularly with a VELscope system--should skyrocket following "The Dr. Oz Show" airing.
 
This development comes on the heels of yet another honour for our life-saving technology.  The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recognized the VELscope as an innovative device that addresses global health concerns.  In 2009, the WHO Department of Essential Health Technologies had challenged the scientific and business communities to identify and develop innovative technologies to address global health concerns.  This summer, following months of evaluation, the organization officially recognized those innovative medical devices, either existing or under development, which address global health concerns and which are likely to be accessible, appropriate and affordable for use in low- and middle-income countries. The VELscope system was one of only eight devices to be so honoured, and the only dental device.
 
I would also like to call your attention to our dramatically enhanced website, www.velscope.com.  One of the key features of our website is one that invites visitors to "Find a VELscope Practice".  All they have to do is enter their city and/or state or province, and they'll get a list of all VELscope practices in area. We expect this feature to get a lot of use starting this Friday!
 
I would like to both thank and congratulate you for your foresight in investing in your VELscope system, and for all you are doing to provide the best possible oral health care for your patients.