Do I need a screening if I do not smoke?

Yes. Tobacco and heavy alcohol use raise risk, but a growing share of oral cancers are found in people with neither, often linked to HPV. Screening everyone is how early cases get caught.

Does the screening cost extra?

No. It is part of every routine exam at Mend Dental at no additional charge.

What happens if you find something?

Most things we notice are harmless, like a bite mark, a canker sore or an irritation from a sharp tooth. If something looks unusual, we usually recheck it in two weeks to see if it has healed. If it has not, we refer you to a specialist for a closer look.

Can I skip the screening?

You can decline any part of your care, but we would gently ask you not to. Oral cancer found early is highly treatable and the screening costs you two minutes. Skipping it removes the one chance to catch something you cannot see or feel yourself.

The word is scary. The screening is not.

An oral cancer screening is Dr. Sison looking carefully at the soft parts of your mouth for about two minutes. It is already part of every exam at mend. No needles, no cost, and almost always nothing to find. That "almost" is why we never skip it.

Book a checkup What actually happens

2 min
is all it takes: $0
included in every exam: 0
needles, instruments or prep

Dr. Monique Sison performing a gentle oral cancer screening at mend dental in Irvine

What actually happens

Two minutes of looking. That is the whole thing.

You will barely notice it. Somewhere between the cleaning and the exam, Dr. Sison asks you to say "ah," moves your tongue gently to one side and then the other, and looks under it. She checks the inside of your cheeks, the roof of your mouth, your lips and your throat. Then she feels along your jaw and neck with her fingertips.

She is looking for anything that does not match the other side: a patch that is whiter or redder than it should be, a sore that has not healed, a small lump. That is it. No instruments beyond a light and a mirror, nothing to prepare for, nothing to feel afterward.

1Lips and cheeks. A look at the inside of your lips and the lining of your cheeks.
2Tongue, top and underneath. Say "ah," then she gently moves your tongue side to side with gauze.
3Roof, floor and throat. A light and a mirror, nothing else.
4Jaw and neck. Fingertips along the jawline and neck for anything that feels different.

Why we never skip it

"Can we skip that part?" We understand the question.

Nobody wants to hear the word cancer at the dentist. But the screening is not a diagnosis, and it is not a prediction. It is a look. The only thing skipping it changes is whether something small gets seen while it is still small.

~80% Found early, highly treatable When oral cancer is caught at an early, localized stage, the five-year survival rate is around 80 percent or better. Found late, it drops by more than half.

1 in 4 No obvious risk factors Roughly a quarter of people diagnosed do not smoke or drink heavily. Younger, otherwise healthy adults are diagnosed every year.

0 Symptoms, usually Early changes rarely hurt and are often in places you cannot see. A trained eye at a routine visit is how they get noticed.

Figures are general, published estimates from the American Cancer Society and the Oral Cancer Foundation, not predictions about any individual.

If we notice something

Most of what we see is nothing.

Mouths are busy places. Bite marks, canker sores, a rub from a sharp filling. When Dr. Sison points something out, this is usually how it goes.

1 She tells you, plainlyWhere it is, what it looks like, and what she thinks it probably is. No alarm, no jargon.
2 We take a photo and a noteSo we have something to compare against, and so nothing depends on memory.
3 We look again in two weeksMost irritations heal within 14 days. If it has cleared up, that is the answer, and there is nothing more to do.
4 If it has not, we refer youTo an oral surgeon or specialist who can take a closer look. A referral is a precaution, not a diagnosis. Dr. Sison calls ahead and stays in the loop.

Between visits

Worth a call if it lasts more than two weeks.

You do not need to inspect your mouth. Just know the handful of things that are worth mentioning if they stick around. Calling is free and we would rather look at ten harmless spots than miss one.

A sore or ulcer that has not healed in two weeks
A white or red patch inside the mouth
A lump or thick spot in the cheek, lip or neck
Numbness or tenderness in the mouth or lip
Trouble chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue
A hoarse voice or sore throat that lingers

Call (949) 251-0011

From our patients

Part of every checkup

Screening questions, answered.

No. Dr. Sison looks at the soft tissues of your mouth and gently feels along your jaw and neck. There are no needles, no instruments beyond a light and a mirror, and it takes about two minutes.

Book a dental appointment at mend dental Irvine

It is already part of your checkup.

Book a cleaning and exam and the screening comes with it. Two minutes, no extra cost, real peace of mind.

Book Appointment

The word is scary. The screening is not.

Two minutes of looking. That is the whole thing.

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