General Dentistry

Oral Cancer Screening

A quick, painless examination included in every checkup.

Oral cancer is highly treatable when it is caught early and much less so when it is not. Screening for it takes about two minutes, costs you nothing extra, and is part of every examination here.

We examine your lips, tongue, floor of mouth, palate, cheeks and throat, and feel the lymph nodes in your neck, looking for anything that does not belong: a patch of unusual colour, a lump, a thickening, or a sore that has not healed.

Most of what we find is harmless and we will tell you so. When something warrants a closer look we refer you promptly, and we follow up to make sure the referral happened.

About feesWe follow the Alberta Dental Association Fee Guide and direct-bill your insurer wherever your plan allows it. Because every mouth is different, we give you a written treatment estimate before any work begins — never a surprise at the desk.

Ready to book oral cancer screening? Call us and we will find you a time, and tell you what your plan covers before anything starts.

Book an appointment (403) 936-2866

Step by step

What to expect

Visual check

A systematic look over every soft-tissue surface in the mouth and throat.

Palpation

Feeling the neck, jaw and floor of mouth for lumps or firmness.

Record

Anything of note is photographed so we can compare it at your next visit.

Referral

If a lesion needs specialist assessment we arrange it and follow it up.

Common questions

Oral Cancer Screening

Who is at risk?

Tobacco and alcohol use raise risk substantially, as does HPV infection and heavy sun exposure for lip cancers. But a meaningful share of cases occur in people with none of those factors — which is why we screen everyone.

What should I watch for between visits?

Any sore, patch or lump in the mouth that has not resolved in two weeks is worth a call. So is persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing.

General Dentistry