535 What Do You Say? Oral Cancer Screening Verbiage That Builds Trust

In this episode, Alyssa Aberle shares her powerful personal journey through a patient diagnosis, surgery, and tongue reconstruction, offering a perspective that deeply resonates with dental professionals. The conversation emphasizes the critical role hygienists play in early detection of oral cancer and why cutting corners is never an option when it comes to patient care. Alyssa, along with David and Jessica, dives into practical strategies for oral cancer screenings, including how to communicate findings with confidence and compassion. They also discuss when and how to refer patients to specialists, ensuring the best possible outcomes. A key highlight is the discussion around effective screening scripts and the importance of the 10–14 day rule in monitoring suspicious lesions. What We Talked About: Alyssa's personal experience with her patients diagnosis, surgery, and tongue reconstruction The responsibility of dental professionals to thoroughly screen for oral cancer Why you should never cut corners during exams How to confidently refer patients and choose the right specialist Verbiage and scripts that build trust during oral cancer screenings Understanding and applying the 10–14 day rule Call to Action: This episode is designed to empower dental hygienists to take ownership of their role in patient care. By listening, you'll gain the confidence, language, and clinical mindset needed to perform thorough screenings and advocate for your patients' health. Resources and Links: Connect with Alyssa: linktr.ee/alyssardh alyssa.aberle@gmail.com

You can listen to 535 What Do You Say? Oral Cancer Screening Verbiage That Builds Trust online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

535 What Do You Say? Oral Cancer Screening Verbiage That Builds Trust is an episode from A Tale of Two Hygienists with Michelle and Andrew by Andrew Johnston.

This episode is 33:55 long.

This episode was published on Apr 22, 2026.

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