VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening

Every now and then certain pieces of technology come along that change the field of dentistry forever and we think that the VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening might just be one of those. Prior to the release of this system, our only method of detecting oral cancer was seeing or feeling a physical abnormality in the mouth, throat or tongue. Clearly this task was difficult since many times cancerous cells don’t become visible to the naked eye until they have been around for awhile. By the time we were able to detect something that we suspected may be cancerous, it was typically in an advanced stage that was much more difficult to treat.

The VELscope allows us to shine an infrared light into your mouth that turns black when a cancerous cell is detected. We use this tool and get to see which cells may be looking a little hazardous much earlier than we traditionally were able to. If you are receiving a VELscope VX Oral Cancer Screening regularly, chances are very strong that we will catch anything dangerous in the very early stages and that we will be able to treat it much more successfully. We recommend this exam for all patients over the age of 18, but it is especially important for you to be receiving these if you use tobacco products, drink alcohol or are sexually active.

Leave us a comment and tell us if you have had a VELscope Oral Cancer Screening and if so, what you thought about it. Thanks for reading, we look forward to seeing you soon and hope you will reach out to us with any dental needs you may have here in Richmond, VA.