Part of a dental exam usually includes the dentist checking for signs of oral cancer. Until now, the only method the dentist had in looking for signs of oral cancer were visual. By the time the dentist could see signs of oral cancer in the mouth, it was often in an advanced stage of development.

“Oral cancer is quite a big problem in this country. One person every hour in the United States is actually dying of oral cancer,” says Dr. Howard Babushkin of Manhattan Oasis Dentistry. “Risk factors of course are smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking. But a quarter of the people, 25 percent of the people who will develop oral cancer, have absolutely no pre-disposing risk factors.”

Now, there is a new tool, called ViziLite Plus, that helps dentists detect oral cancer at a much earlier stage. With a special rinse that dehydrates cells, and a light source that illuminates them, dentists are able to see abnormalities they might have missed in a traditional exam. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year, and more than 7,000 will die. Perhaps this new testing tool will be able to save additional lives.