{"id":153,"date":"2019-04-06T11:24:32","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T11:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/?p=153"},"modified":"2019-04-26T11:30:15","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T11:30:15","slug":"dentist-in-fox-chapel-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/06\/dentist-in-fox-chapel-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Dentist In Fox Chapel Discusses Oral Cancer Screenings Done At Each Checkup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-screening.jpg\" alt=\"Dental patient getting an oral cancer screening\" class=\"wp-image-156\" width=\"243\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-screening.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/oral-cancer-screening-267x300.jpg 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral cancer is a devastating disease that\u2019s more common than\nyou may realize. In fact, an estimated 53,000 people in the U.S. will be\ndiagnosed with oral cancer this year and one person will die from it every\nhour. Thankfully, there is some good news: Oral cancer is highly treatable and\nhas a survival rate of 85-90% when it\u2019s caught early. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so\ncrucial to get regular oral cancer screenings, which are done at each checkup\nwith a dentist in Fox Chapel. And, since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, it\u2019s\na great time to learn more about these life-saving screenings in this blog! &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Risk Factors?&nbsp; <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people think that they aren\u2019t at risk for oral cancer\nif they don\u2019t use tobacco, but there are several additional risk factors to\nconsider such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>HPV<\/li><li>A weakened immune system<\/li><li>Heavy drinking <\/li><li>Age<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, it\u2019s important to know that oral cancer is being\nfound more often in people with none of these risk factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, while this disease often affects the tissues inside\nthe mouth such as the tongue or back of the throat, there\u2019s also a type of skin\ncancer called melanoma that can be found on the border of the lips. This makes\nregular use of a lip balm with SPF particularly important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is An Oral Screening Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people are surprised to learn how simple and non-invasive screenings are. And since they\u2019re automatically done at each of your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">6-month checkups<\/a>, they\u2019re convenient as well! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both a dentist and hygienist will visually inspect your\nlips, cheeks, throat, palate, and under your tongue. They may also gently\npalpate your neck and under your jaw to see if there are any lumps, bumps, or\ntender areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, be aware of the following symptoms to look for in\nbetween visits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A feeling like something is always stuck in your\nthroat. <\/li><li>Difficulty chewing or swallowing. <\/li><li>A chronic sore throat.<\/li><li>A lump or bump that\u2019s developed recently. <\/li><li>Any sores or lesions that haven\u2019t healed on their own\nwithin two weeks.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With that said, remember that there are many non-harmful\nconditions that can look similar, such as canker sores or benign lumps of fatty\ntissue, so don\u2019t be alarmed if you notice one of these symptoms. Just call to\nschedule a screening as soon as possible so you can have the peace of mind that\ncomes from a professional evaluation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With early detection and advances in treatment, oral cancer\nhas a good prognosis. And with regular checkups, it couldn\u2019t be easier! &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/dr-voller.html\">Dr.\nRay Voller<\/a> has almost 40 years of\nexperience as a family dentist in Fox Chapel and is a graduate of the\nUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. He and his staff are\ncommitted to providing thorough, comprehensive dentistry, including oral cancer\nscreenings at each checkup. If you have any questions or would like to schedule\na checkup, he can be reached through his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oral cancer is a devastating disease that\u2019s more common than you may realize. In fact, an estimated 53,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year and one person will die from it every hour. Thankfully, there is some good news: Oral cancer is highly treatable and has a survival rate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions\/158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vollersmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}