Oral Cancer Check-Up

At The Oyster Bay Family Dentists, we offer oral cancer screenings to our patients to look for signs of oral cancer.

During the exam our doctors will look for any lumps and spots in different areas in your mouth. Besides looking for lumps and abnormalities, our doctors might use their finger to feel the skin and tissue underneath your jaw for possible signs of cancer.

When possible, we advise our patients to avoid using tobacco as it increases your chance of developing oral cancer. If you consume alcohol regularly you have a higher chance of developing it. Our patients that have a family history of oral cancer or have previously been diagnosed with oral cancer are encouraged to have an exam at least once a year.

Don’t forget to ask for an oral cancer screening the next time you see us or if you notice any abnormalities in your mouth.

To learn more about all of the services provided at our practice, contact The Oyster Bay Family Dentists. Our office is located in Oyster Bay, NY. To schedule an appointment with Drs. Robert G. West or Denise VeyVoda, please visit our website or call 516-922-5730.

What is a Prosthodontist?

As National Oral Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, we at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists wanted to say a bit about the importance of prosthodontics. Our office provides prosthodontic as well as general dental services, meaning that we are specialists in restoring teeth. Our Doctor Denise VeyVoda is also trained in plastic surgery facial reconstruction.

Although rates of natural tooth retention are much better now than they were generations ago, it is still common for people to lose or badly damage teeth throughout their lives. There are also people who are naturally missing some adult teeth. While many dentists are trained to place implants and artificial crowns, prosthodontists are able to handle more complex cases involving the restoration of a number of teeth and parts of the jaw bone. A person may require more extensive restoration if they have been without teeth for a long time and their jaw structure has deteriorated, or if they have been impacted by oral cancer.

Sometimes, tumors need to be removed from the jaw bone, or a section of the jaw bone needs to be cut away to access the tumor. Afterward, a portion of the face or the roof of the mouth will need to be replaced. Our doctors are able to provide reconstructive surgery using prosthetic appliances that will be carefully shaped and colored to fit the patient’s new face. These devices can also be used to help people who have suffered facial trauma, as can Juvederm facial contouring, restoring a patient’s confidence, comfort, and the functioning of their mouth and jaw.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Oral Cancer and Alcohol

The prosthodontists of the Oyster Bay Family Dentists provide reconstructive surgery to people who have suffered the ravages of oral cancer. But we also want our patients to know how to avoid this disease in the first place, which is why we strive to provide the latest information.

Recently, the American Society of Clinical Oncology released a study which examined the relationship between cancer and alcohol. They found that alcohol use is the cause of about 5% of new cancer cases, including of oral cancer. This is concerning because most people are aware of the danger posed by smoking and HPV, but are not aware of that of alcohol. The research did not show that the odds of cancer developing differed between different types of alcohol, but it did show that even moderate drinking carries a risk.

Scientists are still debating why alcohol would lead to oral cancer. Some hypothesize that it damages the soft tissues in the mouth, which then have to regrow. But one positive finding of the research was that when people stop drinking, their chances of developing cancer in any part of the aerodigestive tract declines.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.

 

HPV and Oral Cancer

As part of The Oyster Bay Family Dentists’ observance of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we’re teaching our patients about the changing landscape of oral pathologies. Last year, the rate of new oral cancer diagnoses associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) outpaced diagnoses of new cases of tobacco-associated oral cancer for the first time, and we in the medical community are left relying more heavily on our patients than ever before to help us keep them safe.

HPV-associated oral cancer usually occurs in the back of the mouth and the top of the throat, which is why medical literature sometimes calls it “oropharyngeal” cancer. The tissue of this region is so deeply creviced that randomly scraping it is unlikely to catch an HPV infection. Even if HPV were caught, that may not prove helpful, because 80% of American adults get an HPV infection at least once in their lives, but only one out of nearly two hundred strains of HPV is believed to cause oral cancer.

Because throat cancer may not be easy to see, patients should request examinations if they are experiencing pain, numbness, or swelling in their throats or in the region between their ears and jaws. Throat cancer can still be checked for with a tactile examination and HPV-associated cancers are easier to treat than tobacco-associated cancers, but adults should not think that avoiding smoking makes them immune to oral cancer.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit OysterBayDentists.com and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Oral Cancer

Are you due for your oral cancer screening? If you’re over fifty, use tobacco products and have a family member who’s been diagnosed, you are probably due for an oral cancer screening.  Even if you have a clean bill of health, older adults should make oral cancer screenings a regular part of their yearly health exams.

Oral cancer can have a devastating effect, but if it’s caught in its earliest stages, chances of full recovery are significantly improved. We use a variety of comprehensive and advanced technology that gives us full insight into your oral health, and that includes detection of any abnormalities or problem areas that could easily go undetected.  If you’re not sure whether or not you’re due for an oral cancer screening or if you’re an adult who’s never had one, it’s better to yield on the side of caution. We look forward to your visit for a comprehensive exam and giving you the peace of mind and information you need to protect and preserve your health.