By Tamika Bonner

West Covina – A-Z Dental Care is using the award-winning, advanced technology of VELscope VX in the office as a part of overall dental care. The handheld device is used to detect several oral infections including viral, fungal, bacterial, cancer, and tumors. The device also detects papillomas, which is linked to HPV (human papilloma virus).

Over 45,000 people will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer this year, and one person dies every hour of the day throughout the entire year. Major risk factors for oral cancer have been linked to smoking and tobacco, but the fastest growing segment of oral cancer is in young, non-smoking individuals in connection with HPV.

“The high danger comes from the fact that oral cancer is typically painless in its early stages, and goes unnoticed until the disease is advanced and has spread to another part of the body,” says Dr. Dara Gashparova, DDS, of A-Z Dental Care. “The good news is that your dentist or physician can, in many cases, see or feel the tissue changes or the actual cancer while it is very small.”

A-Z Dental Care is offering free oral cancer screenings May 4 – 8, in recognition of Oral Cancer Awareness month. The screening will be conducted using VELscope VX. The procedure is painless, and results will be given in a matter of minutes. Screenings can be made by appointment at (626) 966-8408.

A-Z Dental Care, which opened recently in 2014, specializes in providing advanced technology and knowledge paired with the best quality dental care in a calming atmosphere. The office offers digital x-rays, intra-oral camera, soft tissue lasers, Diagnodent, and Invisalign. The office will also offer CEREC technology, which is an innovative CAD/CAM technology that creates porcelain crowns in one office visit. Dental services include all-porcelain crowns, dental implants, night guards, and snoring/sleep apnea aids. A-Z Dental Care is conveniently at 628 N. Azusa Avenue in the city of West Covina. It is in close proximity to the cities of Covina, Baldwin Park, La Puente, Irwindale, Azusa, and San Dimas.  For more information, visit http://atozdentalcare.com/.