Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer screenings are quick inspections in which your dentist will ask you whether you are experiencing any pain while biting, swallowing, or opening and closing your mouth. They will also check all parts of your oral cavity—your gums, tongue, cheeks, lips, and the roof of your mouth—for abnormalities like:

• Inflamed tissue
• Lesions or sores
• Red or white patches of tissue
• Lumps or growths

These symptoms can often be hard to detect with the naked eye, so our dentist uses a special screening device called the VELscope to perform much more precise examinations than would be possible otherwise.

You don't have to visit your physician or a specialist to screen for oral cancer. These screenings can be easily worked into your regular dental checkups with Dr. Sielicki. Our Scottsdale dentist recommends that you receive a screening at least once a year.

A Closer Look

at the VELscope

The VELscope is an oral screening device that uses blue-spectrum fluorescent light to detect abnormalities within the oral cavity. 

The blue light highlights the oral cavity differently than normal dental illumination tools because it can penetrate below the surface of the oral tissue. Normal tissue appears green under VELscope light, but tissue that may contain cancer or other abnormalities appears significantly darker.

When dark spots appear, it does not always indicate the presence of cancer. The light can also detect areas of trauma, infection, pre-cancerous cells, and HPV.