Cary, NC — During Bob’s regularly-scheduled cleaning and checkup, Dr. Acton noticed a suspicious-looking bump on his tonsil.
A Life-Saving Checkup
Every six months, dentists and hygienists perform cleanings and check your mouth for cavities – but did you know that it’s our responsibility to check your mouth and throat for oral cancer as well? When Bob, one of our patients, came in for his routine health and wellness visit, Dr. Acton noticed abnormal-looking tissue on one of his tonsils.
Our discovery may have saved has life.
We were able to detect an irregular mass in Bob’s throat.
Dr. Acton immediately referred Bob to an oral surgeon who confirmed that the mass was a cancerous lesion that had not yet metastasized. He had a surgeon remove it at Duke Hospital. Afterwards, Bob explained:
Thanks to Dr. Acton finding it, aggressively telling other doctors about it and making sure that I got set up with an appointment, I was well taken care of. I had absolutely no idea that was something was wrong – even after I knew about it, I couldn’t feel anything. It could have been a far more serious situation or it could have killed me if it had been let go for much longer. This was enormously important.
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Story photos and video from Cary Family Dental. Lead photo by Darwin Bell.
