Early detection is the not-so-secret weapon to beating cancer. The earlier you find it, the better your chance at survival. This is especially true of cancers that often aren’t diagnosed until their later stages. Your dentist can help detect oral cancer in its early stages during your regular exams.

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. As you’ll see in the video, a growing number of young people who don’t smoke are being diagnosed with this disease. The key risk factor is the HPV virus. If you have HPV, you are 30 times more likely to get oral cancer.  

So if you’re due for a dental exam, call Sequoia Dental Office today at 559-608-3533 to schedule one. Your dentist is trained to detect signs of oral cancer. If they see any areas of concern, they may recommend you have a biopsy. It’s also a good idea to perform regular self-exams at home. Check out this video to learn how.

Learn to perform an oral cancer self-exam. from MyOMS.org on Vimeo.