VELscope Oral Cancer Screening
The only way most people are routinely monitored for
signs of oral cancer is during their regular
dental check-up. When the dentist or dental hygienist
gives your tongue a tug, it’s to look around for any suspicious
spots on the inside of your mouth.
While a visual examination is worthwhile, many potentially
cancerous cells cannot be seen when they are in their
early stages—particularly those beneath the surface of
the skin. Since early detection and treatment are vital
to survival, Metropolitan Dental has added a new tool
called the VELscope to its screening routine.
This hand-held device emits a beam of blue light that
makes the tissue in your mouth appear fluorescent. Because
of the different way they absorb and re-emit this light,
normal cells appear bright green, while abnormal ones
look dark green or maroon.
A VELscope exam takes only a couple of minutes, is completely
painless, and has proven effective in clinical trials
at detecting potentially cancerous cells before they can
be seen by the naked eye.
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