It is important to go to the dentist in order to have clean, sparkling teeth. But did you know that keeping regular dentist appointments could save your life?
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Auburn dentist Theresa Casper-Klock demonstrates the ViziLite tool, which illuminates the mouth and aids in the detection of oral cancer, on her office administrator, Ann Giovannini, on Monday morning.
Auburn dentist Theresa Casper-Klock demonstrates the ViziLite tool, which illuminates the mouth and aids in the detection of oral cancer, on her office administrator, Ann Giovannini, on Monday morning.
More than 34,360 Americans were diagnosed with oral cancer last year. And according to the American Cancer Society, 7,550 people die annually from the affliction.
But most people who discover it in its first stages can battle oral cancer successfully. The key is finding it early, which comes from keeping up with dental checkups and having regular screenings, said Auburn dentist Theresa Casper-Klock.
“The problem with some of these (oral) cancers is that they can mimic a lot of other occurrences in the mouth,” Casper-Klock said. “But we see mouths and tongues every day. We can catch it in its early stages, when it is a lot more curable.”
According to the ACS, the five-year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with oral cancer is 59 percent. The five-year survival rate when it is found in its localized stages is 81 percent.
Casper-Klock uses a relatively new process called ViziLite to identify lesions and abnormalities in the mouth when she is screening a patient. A patient rinses his or her mouth with a special solution. Casper-Klock then uses a lighted device much like a glow stick sold at carnivals to spot possible problem areas.
Casper-Klock said there are other light-based detection systems used by dentists such as the products MicroLux DL and VELscope. They can all be effective and she recommends annual screenings for her patients, she said.
And keeping a regular schedule of biannual visits to the dentist can serve as a screening process as well, she said.
“If there is something abnormal in your mouth, you should always have it checked. But if you go to your six-month checkup, you are always no more than six months away from getting it looked at,” Casper-Klock said.
This proved to be the case for Mary Bunnell, who visited the dentist about a year ago when the doctor noticed something under her tongue. They decided to do some tests, which came back negative. Six months later, at Bunnell's next regular visit, the mark was still there.
This time, the doctor used the light-based screening, which found an abnormality. Bunnell was referred to a specialist, whose tests came back positive for oral cancer.
All of it stemmed from a normal visit to the dentist, she said.
“(The doctor) was just as floored as I was that it was positive,” said Bunnell, 62, who lives near Aurora. “But they caught it so early, and that is the best part.”
Because it was found in its early stages, the doctors have been able to effectively treat Bunnell so far. She has had a small section of her tongue removed, and after six months, there has been no reoccurrence, she said.
Like all cancers, oral cancer can be caused by a number of factors. However, the ACS states that age and lifestyle are two of the biggest influences.
Half of all oral cancers are diagnosed in people older than 68. And alcohol, tobacco, poor diet and even sexual practices can all contribute to oral cancers, according to the ACS.
But that does not mean that tobacco-free teetotalers should skip out on checkups, Casper-Klock said.
“Even patients who have no lifestyle factors can be at risk, for no other reason than just life,” she said. “Cancer is cancer. It is caused by (many) things, and one of those things can be just a cellular change.”
Other than difficulties pronouncing the occasional word with an “s,” things are back to normal for Bunnell, she said. Though she does pay more attention to her mouth these days.
“I am more aware of these things now,” she said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
But most people who discover it in its first stages can battle oral cancer successfully. The key is finding it early, which comes from keeping up with dental checkups and having regular screenings, said Auburn dentist Theresa Casper-Klock.
“The problem with some of these (oral) cancers is that they can mimic a lot of other occurrences in the mouth,” Casper-Klock said. “But we see mouths and tongues every day. We can catch it in its early stages, when it is a lot more curable.”
According to the ACS, the five-year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with oral cancer is 59 percent. The five-year survival rate when it is found in its localized stages is 81 percent.
Casper-Klock uses a relatively new process called ViziLite to identify lesions and abnormalities in the mouth when she is screening a patient. A patient rinses his or her mouth with a special solution. Casper-Klock then uses a lighted device much like a glow stick sold at carnivals to spot possible problem areas.
Casper-Klock said there are other light-based detection systems used by dentists such as the products MicroLux DL and VELscope. They can all be effective and she recommends annual screenings for her patients, she said.
And keeping a regular schedule of biannual visits to the dentist can serve as a screening process as well, she said.
“If there is something abnormal in your mouth, you should always have it checked. But if you go to your six-month checkup, you are always no more than six months away from getting it looked at,” Casper-Klock said.
This proved to be the case for Mary Bunnell, who visited the dentist about a year ago when the doctor noticed something under her tongue. They decided to do some tests, which came back negative. Six months later, at Bunnell's next regular visit, the mark was still there.
This time, the doctor used the light-based screening, which found an abnormality. Bunnell was referred to a specialist, whose tests came back positive for oral cancer.
All of it stemmed from a normal visit to the dentist, she said.
“(The doctor) was just as floored as I was that it was positive,” said Bunnell, 62, who lives near Aurora. “But they caught it so early, and that is the best part.”
Because it was found in its early stages, the doctors have been able to effectively treat Bunnell so far. She has had a small section of her tongue removed, and after six months, there has been no reoccurrence, she said.
Like all cancers, oral cancer can be caused by a number of factors. However, the ACS states that age and lifestyle are two of the biggest influences.
Half of all oral cancers are diagnosed in people older than 68. And alcohol, tobacco, poor diet and even sexual practices can all contribute to oral cancers, according to the ACS.
But that does not mean that tobacco-free teetotalers should skip out on checkups, Casper-Klock said.
“Even patients who have no lifestyle factors can be at risk, for no other reason than just life,” she said. “Cancer is cancer. It is caused by (many) things, and one of those things can be just a cellular change.”
Other than difficulties pronouncing the occasional word with an “s,” things are back to normal for Bunnell, she said. Though she does pay more attention to her mouth these days.
“I am more aware of these things now,” she said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
