Live your life to the fullest! Advanced screening, the key to early detection of oral cancers
Led by Dr. Kurt W. Knechtel, DMD, Longmont Dental rolls out the red carpet for patients in and around Longmont, Colorado, and the greater Boulder area. We do so both with our kind, non-judgmental, warm, and inviting approach to care and our surroundings, as well as with sophisticated technologies and advanced techniques. This combination of amenities and forward-thinking treatment supports the most comfortable, precise, pleasant, and safe experience.
Notably, our use of sophisticated diagnostic technology promotes an accurate understanding of underlying conditions or the root causes of patient complaints. Accurate diagnoses inform immediate and effective treatment plans. And, as it relates to the prompt detection of early-stage oral cancer, screening assisted by VELscope® can quite literally save lives.
What is VELscope®
Longmont Dental is among the select providers, near and far, to invest in VELscope®. Other practitioners may be limited in their ability to see or visualize potentially dangerous pre-cancers and cancerous lesions during routine exams and screenings. VELscope® gives Dr. Knechtel an edge in treating patients. Using the latest VELscope® Vx enhanced oral assessment system, he can see abnormal tissue.
The systems designed by LED Dental imaging technology specialists are based on blue light science. Instead of traditional tools that use reflected light to evaluate and offset problem tissues, the VELscope® system uses blue light technology to excite or activate fluorophore molecules. These molecules are present deep within the layers of oral tissue. They then emit their light at longer wavelengths, a process known as fluorescence; the resulting shades of green, yellow, and red stick out starkly and in great contrast to the surrounding normal tissues.
When abnormal tissues “show up” in this manner and stick out so much, Dr. Knechtel can accurately and precisely identify those areas subject to cellular, structural, and metabolic changes. These changes frequently are associated with existing diseases. We can identify active oral cancers in their earliest, localized stages and pre-malignant dysplasia, the medical way of referring to pre-cancers.
As with so many different types of cancers, malignant oral tumors have a high rate of being successfully treated when detected before they have spread to other tissues or distant organs. So, early detection with the latest, safest, and minimally-invasive tools (like the VELscope®), is critical to our patients living many years to the fullest. Due to our approach to getting to know our patients as “family,” we also work to reduce the risk of developing oral cancer. While we can’t control everything, we can partner to minimize the dangers presented by factors such as smoking, vaping, and tobacco use.
Get into a healthy habit! Potential risk factors for cancerous oral lesions cannot wait. Take them on today—Call (720) 815-4733 without delay to schedule your screening, exam, and professional cleaning at Longmont Dental.
