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Dr. Jon Frankel is proud to have incorporated the Velscope System into our dental practice.<\/p>\n
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The Velscope System, recently approved by the FDA, was developed by the British Columbia Cancer Agency and Vancouver-based LED Dental Inc.\u00a0 It is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists and hygienists with a new tool to aid in the early detection of oral cancer.\u00a0 The Velscope examination is a non-invasive, painless procedure which takes only a few minutes.\u00a0 The dentist shines a blue light into the mouth to cause it to fluoresce.\u00a0 This fluoresence helps the dentist visualize abnormal tissue which may be, or may lead to, oral cancer.<\/p>\n
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Over 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer annually in the United States.\u00a0 With a mortality rate of over 50% at 5 years, one person every hour of every day dies of oral cancer in America.\u00a0 If detected early however, the oral cancer is 90% survivable.\u00a0 Dr. Frankel states: \u201cWe\u2019ve always conducted an annual comprehensive oral cancer screening for all of our patients, but the Velscope System will allow us to see things we\u2019ve been unable to see previously. By detecting potential problems earlier, we\u2019ll be providing our patients with the best oral health care currently available.\u201d<\/p>\n