To help identify the tissue in which cancer has spread, tissue dye is being developed. One such dye known as Lugol solution identifies tissue that has depleted its glycogen stores. Glycogen is the food that cells need to stay alive and grow. The theory is that rapidly growing cancerous tissue will burn through its stored glycogen and therefore show up under this dye vacuum forming machine dental. We are still waiting for the outcome of research to confirm the effectiveness of this dye. Once it is in hand, there is no reason why this dye can’t be used for diagnosis by a dentist. It can even allow pre-cancerous tissue to be removed before it becomes cancer. Marking out cancerous tissue will give surgeons the confidence to remove less tissue without leaving any cancer behind. The Surgery Once you’ve found and clearly marked the cancer to be cut out, the other problem is how to get to it. Cancers further back in the mouth can be very difficult to reach and feel. In these hard to reach corners, surgeons may err on the side of taking away more tissue to make sure all the cancer is cut out. This is where robotic surgery is a game changer. Robots have instruments that are much smaller than human hands. The surgeon can sit at a console and operate these instruments via magnification. Then, the surgeon can precisely remove the cancer tissue only where it was previously difficult to reach or operate on accurately water picker. Oral cancer treatment often will include surgery to remove lymph nodes in the neck. Known as a neck dissection, this allows the lymph nodes to be examined for the spread of the cancer. Research has shown that radiotherapy will improve outcomes if cancer has spread into the neck. You can’t identify the presence of cancer in the neck without neck dissection surgery. As with all surgeries, there are risks and complications. Radiotherapy, on the other hand, has side effects including dry mouth, dental decay, and breakdown of jawbones (osteonecrosis). Sentinel node biopsy has long been used in the treatment of breast cancer to overcome this problem. A chemical is injected into the cancerous tissue and then observed as it drains into the first lymph node in the neck. This first lymph node is then removed and examined dental implant machine. If this first lymph node doesn’t have any cancer, then it is unlikely that the cancer has spread to the neck. This can save patients with early disease from having a neck dissection. Recent research has shown that sentinel node biopsy is a safe alternative for patients with early stage cancer. It is now included in the cancer treatment guidelines. These are just a few ways in which ongoing research has improved the way we diagnose and treat oral cancer. With even more advances on the horizon, a future with early cancer detection, minimal surgery, and targeted further treatment is not that far away.