Over 45,000 North Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer each year;

• Only about half of those diagnosed each year will still be alive in 5 years;
• If you are sexually active, you are at risk for oral cancer;
• The majority of oral cancer victims smoke, chew tobacco and consume alcohol;
• While victims have traditionally been over 40 years of age, more younger, sexually active people are now being diagnosed.

If Dr. Doodes finds any indicators or signs of oral cancer during the execution of your Oral Cancer Examination, she will typically recommend a further examination by an oral pathologist.  The oral pathologist will then take a biopsy from the area in question and evaluate the biopsy in question to determine if it truly is oral cancer.  Should the results of that biopsy come back positive for either pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue, we will work with you to determine what the next steps should be and help you find the appropriate treatment.

Dr. Doodes has been evaluating her patients on a regular basis for a long time.  The good news is that if we find oral cancer in its early/beginning stages, the survival rate is extremely high.  So, be sure to keep up with your regularly scheduled hygiene appointments and regularly scheduled oral cancer screening.

If you notice that a bite or tear in your mouth has not healed within a couple of weeks, it is recommended that you call us right away so that we can it check out.

Do not wait until it is too late to take action!