For those who do not usually experience any dental issues, the temptation to skip a routine dental exam can be huge. After all, if your last filling was done in the 90s and you’re not experiencing any issues, you may think there is no reason to keep your routine dental appointments. However, this kind of thinking can prove very dangerous because each checkup includes a routine oral cancer screening. There are three main reasons why this is a screening you absolutely cannot afford to miss.

Some forms of oral cancer are extremely aggressive. As with any cancer, early detection is paramount to surviving the diagnosis. The longer oral cancer remains undetected, the longer is has to grow and move into nearby tissues such as the brain, eyes and throat. Oral cancer is best discovered early to increase the odds of survival and lessen the chances of it metastasizing to surrounding tissues. Early detection is key to saving your life and achieving remission.

Excising advanced oral cancer can leave you disfigured. If your dentist is able to detect a cancerous lesion before it gains a foothold, you may be cured with a relatively tiny procedure that leave minimal scarring. Advanced cancer, on the other hand, can leave you with a disfigurement that may take a lot of reconstructive surgery to correct. This is especially true if the cancer invades large portions of your jaw bones or works into the skeletal structure of your face. While aesthetics concerns are largely pushed aside by those fighting to survive cancer, it is an issue that can haunt a survivor for the rest of his or her life.

For the above reasons, life expectancy is much better if your cancer is detected early. The longer cancer goes unchecked, the higher the likelihood that it will metastasize to elsewhere in the body. This greatly reduces the chances of achieving a permanent remission. Even if it does not metastasize, the cancer can grow larger and larger, which can affect nearby blood flow and essential organs, making survival less likely.

Cancer can be a terrifying issue to consider, and most people do not want to even think about the possibility. However, skipping out on your annual screening is not wise. If you ever do have cancer or a precancerous growth found, early detection is key to both saving your life and leaving you with minimal scarring after treatment and achieving remission.

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