I would figure that when my dentist tells me that I don’t have cancer, that I nevertheless won’t get far by asking the gastro doctor if I can skip the next colonoscopy.
And I will keep up my visits with the dermatologist who will look for black lumps on my noggin.
Great teeth; cancer in both breasts. So there you go.
He didn’t by chance tell you whether I have cancer or not?
Keeping an eye out for oral cancer symptoms is one of the things a good dentist does. If he or she spots something that looks like it might be oral cancer said dentist will refer you to a specialist/expert in that particular cancer. It’s part of a normal exam, even if the dentist doesn’t explicitly say so.
It’s like if your regular doctor spots a misshapen, oddly colored blemish on your skin - it’s not so much suspecting cancer as being on the alert for ominous symptoms.
So, how often do you spot something suspicious-it-might-be-cancer in your practice?
The OP’s dentist told him “cancer first appears in the mouth.” That’s not something you would say about oral cancers specifically, since it’s a tautology; it’s something (wrong) you would say about cancer in general.
varies greatly but at least monthly is a good estimate. As stated above also see other cancers. Lots of basal cells on faces and ears. What really seams to surprise the patients/physicians is the calcifications in the carotid arteries that we find on the panoramic x-rays.
this is an example of mission creep on the part of the dentist. they do it to provide additional services that make the patient feel like he’s getting more, but it will also result in a net increase in referrals. your dentist sends you out to the ortho/maxillo-fascial surgeon/oncologist/sleep study, and those providers send their patients who need dental care to the dentist that refers patients to them. referral networks are real, but no dentist will admit to a straight quid pro quo because kickbacks are illegal (cite needed on the illegal part), or it could be they just want to keep up the facade of ‘providing the best healthcare for YOU’.
as part of their continuing ed at conferences, dental office staff are exposed to vendors pushing all sorts of ancillary services that a dentist can provide if they wish, and all of them have some sort of profit motive at the center. could be anything from consumables like fancy toothbrushes to services like cancer screening. the cancer screen they do at my dentist involves a special wavelength flashlight and a pair of special glasses that allows them to ID possible cancer cells. not sure if proven tech.
source: wife works for a dentist.
additional source: me. they push the apnea sleep study Hard every time i go in, but i don’t think a podunk hygienist has the necessary qualifications to diagnose/recommend anything that’s not dental hygiene. i just thank her kindly and go about my merry business.
well that’s not really how referrals work. I refer to an oral surgeon or orthodontist because I have seen their work and know they will do a good job for my patients. They don’t generally have patients to refer to me as people don’t usually walk into a specialists office for treatment without having a generalist that they return to. Fee splitting(I assume that is what you mean by kickbacks) is not legal in Texas. It is covered in the state rules and regulations that govern dentistry.
We don’t sell anything in our office and many other offices I know also don’t. A lot of offices do sell some things such as toothbrushes.
I’m sure you are right about the hygienist not qualified to diagnose apnea that is what referals are for. Why does she bring it up, do you have apnea? It is on our health history form but most people with problems are already being treated.
As for profit motive, yep, everyone I know in any function is doing it for profit. I imagine you take home a paycheck. Sounds like your wife works in an office much different then ours.
This is…optimistic. Most people with sleep apnea don’t know they have it. So it doesn’t appear on their health history. So it might not be an awful idea to suggest that people get checked out for it. But you can’t diagnose it in a dentist’s office, whether you’re a hygenist or a sleep doctor. You need an actual sleep study.
As for “you don’t have cancer” my dentist always checks me for ORAL cancer, because, y’know, he’s in there looking at my mouth, so it almost feels like he’d be remiss NOT to check.
Curious if you’ve seen the kinds of scammy/woo-ish practices described in this article I linked earlier: Is Dentistry a Science? - The Atlantic
(Don’t mean to be hostile – I love my dentist, and I’m sure you’re great, too :))
Emphasis mine.
See, if the OP heard correctly, it doesn’t really sound like the dentist was talking about oral cancer specifically.
You should call up his office after hours and leave a message saying he was wrong.
Speak for yourself. At my first colonoscopy, they did start from the top! 
(OK, to be sure, they were doing an upper GI then a colonoscopy, so they had me coming and going…).
Yeah, jumping on the “quack” train. A dentist ought to be able to spot most cases of oral cancer, but other cancers, nope nope nope.
Since the huge majority of people don’t have cancer, the odds are with him.������