Early Oral Cancer Detection Saves Lives

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - March 27, 2018 - PRLog -- When it comes to oral cancer, silence can be deadly.  Over 35,000 North Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. Thankfully, there is an 82% survival rate when it's caught early.  Blue Springs dental practice, Foster Dental Care, recently invested in a state-of-the-art VELscope system.  Quick, simple, non-invasive, a VELscope Vx oral health exam can reveal a myriad of tissue abnormalities, including oral cancer, before they are visible to the naked eye.

In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Alan Foster and the team at Foster Dental Care will be offering free VELscope Vx oral health exams to patients and community members. The event will take place on Friday, April 13 at Foster Dental Care located at 2150 NW South Outer Road, Blue Springs, Missouri. Starting at 7:00AM, the team at Foster Dental Care will provide complimentary VELscope Vx oral health exams during their business hours. Spots are limited; appointments are required and can be accomplished by calling 816-228-6988.

Oral cancer can often be caught early, even as a pre-cancer.  With early detection, survival rates are high and the side effects of treatment are at their lowest.  The two most common causes of oral cancer: One is through the use of tobacco and alcohol, a long term historic problem and cause, and the other is through exposure to the HPV16 virus (human papilloma virus version 16), which is now the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancers in the US.  Due to this virus, the quickest growing segments of the oral cancer population are young, healthy, non-smokers.

The dentists and team at Foster Dental Care encourage all adults to participate in routine visits with their oral health-care practitioner and ask about oral cancer screenings. An oral cancer screening is included in a patient's biannual oral health check-up at Foster Dental Care. The VELscope Vx exam is available for a separate fee and is not included in a patient's standard oral health check-up.

For more information about oral cancer, please visit The Oral Cancer Foundation's official website at https://www.oralcancer.org. To learn more about VELscope visit, www.velscope.com. For more information about the dental team and services provided at Foster Dental Care, please visit their website at www.FosterDentalCare.com.