# My dentist told me "You don't have cancer" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871 "2019-04-22T02:34:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/1 "2019-04-22T02:34:42Z")
After cleaning my teeth my dentist looked around inside my mouth and announced, “Well, you don’t have cancer.” I thought that was a rather bold statement, so once I could speak I asked him about it. He told me that cancer first appears in the mouth and from inspecting my mouth I don’t have cancer. That sounds crazy to me; it can’t be that simple. What’s the Straight Dope? Does he have a point? ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/2 "2019-04-22T03:00:12Z")
I’ve never heard of non-mouth cancers being apparent in the mouth / throat, that seems like a revolutionary way to diagnose if true. There are however some that do appear. My dentist also does a check, but he’s told me it strictly relates to specific cancers of the throat & mouth. In case you’re not aware, this was what happened to Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame: > **[Graham Chapman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Chapman)** > > Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979). > Chapman was born in Leicester and was raised in Melton Mowbray. He enjoyed science, acting, and comedy and after graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and St Bartholomew's ... > [@](#): > > In 1988, Chapman made a routine visit to a dentist, who found a small, but malignant tumour on one of his tonsils, leading to both being removed via a tonsillectomy.[67] The following year, the cancer had spread into Chapman’s spinal cord, where another tumour was surgically removed. Chapman had several chemotherapy treatments and surgeries during the final months of his life, but ultimately the cancer was declared inoperable. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/3 "2019-04-22T04:26:51Z")
That’s like when my ophthalmologist told me I don’t have a brain tumor. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/4 "2019-04-22T04:36:11Z")
My cardiologist told me I had a lazy heart muscle. I told her it matched my lazy ass. Came as a set. Seriously, IANAD or any kind of medical person, but I can’t imagine a dentist being able to see any cancer unless it’s occurring in the throat or mouth area. WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/5 "2019-04-22T05:06:08Z")
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/6 "2019-04-22T11:18:12Z")
It seems a very odd thing to say. If my dentist said, “Well, you don’t have cancer.” I would immediately worry about why he thought that it was a possibility. Like most people, I am well aware that diagnosing cancer needs blood tests and imaging, and then the results are not always certain. So what is it that made this dentist suspect cancer? ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/7 "2019-04-22T12:13:41Z")
“The Truth About Dentistry” [Is Dentistry a Science? - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/) Much of the article focuses on a different issue (over-treatment), but gives a nice, worrying summary of how and why dentists can get away with all kinds of sketchiness. In the OP’s case, I really want to believe it’s a communication breakdown of some kind (“you don’t have ORAL cancer” or a bad joke?), but the clarifying details kind of forestall that and just make me think it’s a dentist who believes in woo. Hey, at least you didn’t hear that from your oncologist! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/8 "2019-04-22T12:17:16Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > After cleaning my teeth my dentist looked around inside my mouth and announced, “Well, you don’t have cancer.” I thought that was a rather bold statement, so once I could speak I asked him about it. He told me that cancer first appears in the mouth and from inspecting my mouth I don’t have cancer. That sounds crazy to me; it can’t be that simple. What’s the Straight Dope? Does he have a point? :dubious: When a gynecologists performs a pap smear (a test for cervical cancer), he doesn’t put the speculum and swab in the woman’s mouth. I wonder why. When checking for prostate cancer, the doctor sticks his thumb up my ass, not in my mouth. I wonder why. A colonoscopy (to search for colon cancer) sends the camera up from below, not down from above. I wonder why. Your dentist must be some kind of genius. Have oncologists really been doing their job completely wrong all these years? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/9 "2019-04-22T12:43:56Z")
Unless the dentist was referring to oral cancer (and even then a blanket statement of being cancer-free is not justifiable), he’s a quack and the OP should run far and fast to find another dentist. Eye exams could potentially detect _some_ brain tumors (i.e. if they affect the optic nerve or visual fields) but many others wouldn’t be found this way. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/10 "2019-04-22T13:35:32Z")
I have heard that oral health can affect other body systems. For example, I’ve heard of a couple of cases where someone’s heart problem was caused by an oral infection. I can’t speak to cancer, but it’s important to take care of your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/11 "2019-04-22T13:36:44Z")
Yeah, we already know that he’s not qualified to speak about cancer. That’s nothing against him; just that oncology and dentistry are completely different disciplines. I’m not qualified to speak about cancer, either. But the fact that he _thinks_ he’s qualified to speak about cancer calls into doubt his qualifications in all fields, including dentistry. I’d find a new dentist. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/12 "2019-04-22T13:47:55Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > :dubious: > > When a gynecologists performs a pap smear (a test for cervical cancer), he doesn’t put the speculum and swab in the woman’s mouth. I wonder why. > > When checking for prostate cancer, the doctor sticks his thumb up my ass, not in my mouth. I wonder why. > > A colonoscopy (to search for colon cancer) sends the camera up from below, not down from above. I wonder why. > > Your dentist must be some kind of genius. Have oncologists really been doing their job completely wrong all these years? If he’s using his thumb I have some bad news for you. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/13 "2019-04-22T14:12:12Z")
Sounds like someone needs a talking-to from their local College of Physicians. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/14 "2019-04-22T14:19:14Z")
My dentist isn’t even certain about oral cancer. When he saw a suspicious swelling under my tongue, he sent me to a specialist to check it out. Whatever it was/is, it comes and goes, mostly goes and seems to be totally benign. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/15 "2019-04-22T14:54:12Z")
Dentist here, I imagine he was referring to oral cancer. Even then it may or may not be evident visually. Even when I find something I am sure is cancer it needs a biopsy for a diagnosis of cancer. For what it is worth I had squamous cell carcinoma of the right tonsil. Found it due to swelling in a lymph node. Even after the biopsy by my ENT gave the diagnosis the three dentists I worked with and my two oncologist were unable to see it visually. Could see it with the camera at the ENTs however and of course it lit up the PET scan. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/16 "2019-04-22T15:00:03Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If he’s using his thumb I have some bad news for you. Maybe he’s actually a dentist? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/17 "2019-04-22T16:39:40Z")
Sounds to me like he has been consulting with Dr. McGillicuddy more than I would think wise. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/18 "2019-04-22T17:31:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > :dubious: > > When a gynecologists performs a pap smear (a test for cervical cancer), he doesn’t put the speculum and swab in the woman’s mouth. I wonder why. > > When checking for prostate cancer, the doctor sticks his thumb up my ass, not in my mouth. I wonder why. > > A colonoscopy (to search for colon cancer) sends the camera up from below, not down from above. I wonder why. You mean web videos of those exact activities are NOT oncological training tools? :eek::eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/19 "2019-04-22T18:15:44Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > You mean web videos of those exact activities are NOT oncological training tools? :eek::eek::eek: If the OP’s experience is any indication, it would seem they are interpreted as such by dentists. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871/20 "2019-04-22T20:30:07Z")
What he should have said, and may actually have been thinking, was: \* “I don’t see any evidence of oral cancer.”\* Incidentally, and possibly apropos of nothing, it was my dentist who first spotted the skin cancer on my upper lip. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dentist-told-me-you-dont-have-cancer/832871.md?page=2)