Oral pathology refers to the soft tissues in the inside of your mouth, such as oral cancer. Our team knows how to screen and diagnose these issues, and could even conduct a biopsy as needed. In today’s blog, Newport Beach, CA, oral surgeon talks about safeguarding smiles with oral pathology.
The Importance of Oral Pathology
Oral pathology is a field of dentistry dedicated to identifying possible issues with the soft tissues, such as the presence of disease in the interior of your mouth, including oral cancer. Oral cancer in particular has a high mortality rate, with half of those diagnosed each year succumbing to it within five years, mainly due to the infrequency of an early diagnosis. But if you see our team on a regular basis, we can screen for the disease and then take action, so your chances of a recovery are much higher. We want to see you every six months for a checkup and cleaning, and we can screen for oral cancer during these appointments.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer can occur due to a variety of risk factors, such as chewing tobacco, smoking cigarettes or vaping, drinking too much alcohol, and excess UV light exposure. But the disease can also form in smiles for people who don’t have these underlying risk factors. Which is why a screening every year is so valuable for adults of all ages. You should consider seeing us if you have sores or lesions that don’t heal after two weeks, sudden changes to your voice, unexplained weight loss, persistent sore throat or hoarseness, or areas of your mouth’s interior with red and white splotches. Our team can then conduct a screening with advanced imaging technology!
Biopsies
If during our routine screening we discover areas of your mouth’s interior that could have precancerous or cancerous tissues. If this happens, we will conduct a biopsy, which involves taking a small sample of the tissue and then sending it directly to a lab where a pathologist or trained technician will examine it to identify the presence of disease. If the sample is negative, we will continue to monitor your smile with routine screenings. If the test is positive, we will discuss possible treatment options!
If you have any questions about how we protect smiles with oral pathology, or if you want to screen your annual screening now, then please reach out to our team today to learn more and start the treatment process.
Talk To Balboa Dental Surgery About Oral Pathology
We want to help you enjoy good oral health and avoid issues that could threaten your smile! To learn more about how we protect your overall oral health, or to schedule your appointment, contact your Newport Beach, CA oral surgeon at (949) 630-0143!
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