Oral Cancer Screenings in North Phoenix, AZ

It takes about two minutes and it is part of your routine exam — there is no separate appointment, and for most patients no extra charge.

The Visual Exam

We look over the whole of the mouth: the tongue including the underside and sides, the floor of the mouth, the roof, the inside of the cheeks and lips, the back of the throat, and the tonsil area. We are looking for white or red patches, sores that have not healed, and any change in the texture of the tissue.

The Physical Exam

We feel along the jaw and neck for swollen lymph nodes, and check inside the mouth for lumps or hardened areas that are easier to feel than to see. Many early changes are found this way rather than visually.

If We Find Something

Most findings turn out to be harmless — a cheek bite, an irritation from a denture edge, or ordinary thrush. The usual next step is simply to re-examine the area in about two weeks. Anything that has not resolved by then gets referred for a biopsy, which is the only way to know for certain. We will tell you plainly what we have found and what it most likely is, rather than leaving you to guess.

Oral cancer is highly treatable when caught early and much less so when it is not, which is the entire reason screening exists. The difficulty is that early stages rarely hurt.

See a Dentist If You Notice

A sore, ulcer or patch that has not healed within two weeks. A white or red patch anywhere in the mouth. A lump or thickening in the cheek, lip, or neck. Persistent hoarseness or a feeling that something is caught in your throat. Difficulty or discomfort swallowing or moving the jaw. Numbness anywhere in the mouth. Loose teeth with no obvious dental cause.

The two-week rule is the one worth remembering. Ordinary mouth injuries heal quickly; things that do not heal need looking at.

What Raises Risk

Tobacco in any form, including chewing tobacco, is the largest factor. Heavy alcohol use raises it, and combining the two raises it far more than either alone. HPV infection is now a leading cause of cancers at the back of the mouth and throat, and those cases increasingly appear in people who have never smoked. Risk also rises with age, and sun exposure is a specific risk for the lips — relevant in Phoenix, and a reason to use lip balm with SPF.

But a meaningful share of cases occur in people with none of these risk factors, which is why screening is part of every routine visit rather than something we do only for smokers.

Early-stage oral cancer rarely hurts, which is exactly why screening exists and why these signs are worth acting on rather than watching.

None of these means cancer — most turn out to be something ordinary. But oral cancer is highly treatable caught early and much less so caught late, so two minutes at a routine checkup is the whole point. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research publishes patient information on oral conditions at NIDCR.

An oral cancer screening takes a couple of minutes and happens inside a normal checkup, so it costs you no extra trip. That checkup is on 16th Street between Glendale and Northern Avenues, a few minutes from Sunnyslope and the North Mountain neighbourhoods. Hours are on our North Phoenix dental office. If we do find something worth watching, having your dentist nearby makes the two-week recheck straightforward rather than something you put off.