Good oral hygiene, regularly scheduled dental exams and care are essential for overall health, not just the condition of your gums and teeth.
This is why the dentists at Oakwood Dental suggest patients have oral cancer screenings as part of a routine checkup.
The full-serve dental practice, which has Staten Island locations in Oakwood Heights and Tottenville, as well as New Jersey, features state-of-the-art faculties, and seasoned dentists within a wide range of specialties.

Screening for oral cancer may be done during a routine check-up by a dentist at the practice. The exam will include looking for lesions, including areas of leukoplakia (an abnormal white patch of cells) and erythroplakia (an abnormal red patch of cells). Leukoplakia and erythroplakia lesions on the mucous membranes may become cancerous.

Oakwood Dental utilizes painless, non-invasive modern technology, such as a special light, to detect abnormal tissue that might be of concern.

It is important to remember that your dentist does not necessarily think you have cancer if he or she suggests a screening test. Screening tests are given when there are no cancer symptoms.
When caught early, oral cancers are highly treatable and often have a better prognosis, according to the American Dental Association.

In between visits, ADA stresses the importance of being aware of the following signs and symptoms and to see your dentist if they do not disappear after two weeks.

The symptoms of mouth or throat cancer can include:
• a sore or irritation that doesn’t go away
• red or white patches
• pain, tenderness or numbness in mouth or lips
• a lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area
• difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving your tongue or jaw
• a change in the way your teeth fit together when you close your mouth

ABOUT OAKWOOD DENTAL ARTS
Oakwood Dental is a full-serve practice featuring seasoned dentists with a wide range of expertise, from general practice and cosmetic procedures to oral surgery, dental implants, dentures and emergency dental care.
Backed by a team of general dentists, periodontists, orthodontists, oral surgeons and endodontists, Oakwood Dental is conveniently located in the Staten Island, New York, communities of Oakwood Heights (718-979-2121) and Tottenville (718-356-9800), and in Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey (732-414-2683).