VELscope Oral Cancer Screening
Grand Rapids, Holland and, Muskegon, Michigan
A painless, quick exam can protect you from oral cancer. VELscope, an FDA-approved dental technology, can help maintain your complete dental health. Using the VELscope, your dentist can quickly and painlessly examine your mouth for abnormalities. VELscope is especially effective in detecting cancer in its early stages before it is visible to the naked eye. VELscope can easily be incorporated into your regular dental visits, and dentist Jerry Mulder and his dentistry team can show you how the VELscope can be used to ensure your oral health. Contact Dr. Mulder and his team today.
Quick, Easy, Painless
A VELscope exam can be easily performed by your dentist without causing you any pain, and our Michigan dental offices work to maximize the ease of your visit. The exam can be incorporated into your routine checkup and takes only moments to complete. The non-invasive examination uses refractive light to show changes in your mouth and throat; VELscope technology shows the contrast between normal and abnormal tissue, enabling your dentist to spot oral cancer early on before it spreads.
You’ll find that the VELscope can be easily added to your dental routine:
- Exam takes only 1-2 minutes to complete
- No rinse or staining liquids
- Uses refractive light to discover oral abnormalities
- Reveals abnormalities deep under the outer layers of tissue
The VELscope is a handheld device that emits blue light. The dentist holds the device over your mouth and shines the light back and forth across the inner surfaces of your mouth. The dentist will look through the end of the device to see if any of the tissues do not fluoresce light. Normal tissue will fluoresce, appearing as a green color under the refractive light. Abnormal tissues will not fluoresce at all and will appear dark under the light of the VELscope. If there are any abnormal tissues, your dentist may decide that you need a biopsy.
Detecting Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is found in the mouth, throat and other soft tissue. Oral cancer is treatable when detected early, and Dr. Mulder’s office can offer you a comfortable, relaxing dental visit. Although your dentist examines your mouth and throat for oral cancer during your routine dental checkup, the VELscope reveals abnormalities that otherwise may not be apparent. Small, indistinguishable indicators of cancer show brightly in your mouth when under the light of the VELscope, enabling your dentist to easily identify problematic areas in your mouth. Your dentist can provide this possibly life-saving exam quickly and painlessly.
Dr. Mulder’s practice continually looks for advances to ensure the optimum level of oral health care. Dr. Mulder and his staff are concerned about oral cancer and look for it in every patient.
Certain lifestyle factors can increase your chances of developing oral cancer.
- Increased risk: people age 18-39 who have HPV.
- High risk: people age 40 and older who use tobacco products.
- Highest risk: people age 40 and older who use tobacco products, drink alcohol excessively, and have a family history of oral cancer.
One American dies every hour from oral cancer. Late detection of oral cancer is the primary reason that both the incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer continue to increase. As with most cancers, age is the primary risk factor for oral cancer. Although tobacco and alcohol use are major predisposing risk factors, more than 25 percent of oral cancer victims do not smoke and drink only occasionally.
Dr. Mulder brings cosmetic and general dentistry to Grand Rapids and the surrounding Michigan areas, and his team can help you maintain your oral health and ensure your best possible smile. Please contact Dr. Mulder today to schedule an oral cancer screening.
