Do The Light Devices Enhance Oral Cancer Screenings?

A young dad on the train told me his dentist asked if he wanted ‘an advanced screening.’ The young man agreed to the $50 charge. I asked if his dentist pulled his tongue out to the point it was a little uncomfortable. I asked if his neck was palpated. His answer to both was ‘no’. His dentist replaced the visual …

Educating Patients about Oral Cancer

Eva: Do you get an oral cancer screening? Friend: I don’t know. What is it exactly? Eva: They pull your tongue out with a gauze until it’s uncomfortable so they can see the back borders of your tongue. Does your dentist or hygienist do that? Friend: Um, I’m not sure. Eva: Do they palpate your neck for lymph nodes? Friend: …

Chef’s Dentist Found Oral Cancer

I’m a chef and go to the dentist every 6 months. In October, my hygienist noticed an irritated area. I told her I bit my tongue. She mentioned that my teeth were sharp. In April when I returned, my tongue was still irritated. I told the dentist that I kept irritating the area coughing, sneezing, biting….and it just wasn’t healing. …

WHOSE Responsibility is it to Educate About Oral Cancer?

Whose responsibility is it to educate about the early signs of oral cancer, and that it even exists? If I had the slightest idea that the sore on my tongue had the potential of being cancer, I would have been more proactive about finding a solution to the constant pain. Instead, I was bounced between dentists and oral surgeons for …

You Are a 68 Year Old Diagnosed with Oral Cancer – Do treatment?

Choices a 68 year old will make after a Dx for oral cancer are very different from choices I made at age 33 with two young children. There are choices. Different surgeons make different recommendations; Radiation oncologists have different treatment plans. Sometimes the treatment might just be radiation and chemo with no surgery. Sometimes, all three. The 68 year old …