When you talk about practicing good oral hygiene, that discussion includes two visits to the dentist each year. While usually those visits are maintenance-oriented, it can help with regard to early detection of oral cancer–something that would go undetected for longer if you did not see the dentist every six months.
Here are some staggering statistics related to oral cancer:
- 36,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year
- Only half the people diagnosed with oral cancer are alive in five years
- One person dies every hour from oral cancer
The good news for those of you who do go to the dentist twice a year is that when discovered in its earliest stages, the oral cancer survival rate leaps to 80 to 90 percent. But prevention/early detection starts with regular visits to the dentists, at least twice a year.