VelScope

During your visits, we’re observing many aspects of your overall health including a visual exam of all areas of your mouth. Most people are surprised at the large amount of surface area that lines the mouth:  Over 30 square inches of tissue make up the oral cavity!

While oral cancer can afflict anyone, tobacco users put themselves at significantly higher risk than non-users.  Chewing tobacco contains up to 3000 different chemicals, including the same compounds used in pesticides and embalming fluid.  Cellular changes below the surface aren’t always detectable until they’ve advanced to a critical stage.  That’s why we rely on the Velascope technology to help us examine the tissue of both users and non-users of tobacco.

Velascope is a wireless, handheld device that produces a natural tissue fluorescence that significantly enhances our visual exam.  Recognized by the World Health Organization, this award-winning technology has conducted more than 25 million exams.  Easy to use and painless, VelScope helps give us vital information in our quest for early detection of any cancerous or pre-cancerous changes.

If we suspect any unusual changes in your mouth tissue, we may suggest a biopsy and microscopic analysis by a qualified lab.