It’s fairly standard to go to the dentist for an oral exam or cleaning, but when you are told you need a biopsy done, that can be scary. Even though biopsies are scary, they are an important part of maintaining your oral health. Getting an oral biopsy in Rockwall is part of the preventative treatments you go to the dentist for. You don’t need to look for an oral biopsy near me; it can be done here at Lakewood Dental Solutions.
Biopsies aren’t part of normal procedures, though; they are only done when the dentist has a good reason to do one, making them all the more important. Taking a biopsy, such as a gingival biopsy, allows the dentist and the lab team to take a closer look at the tissue to determine if there are any underlying health issues; it is one of the most important types of diagnostic procedures a patient can get when they go to the dentist. As you may know, the goal of any diagnostic procedure is to find an issue as quickly as possible so that it can be treated before it becomes too severe.
Being told the doctor will take a biopsy can happen for several reasons. The most common type of biopsy is an oral cancer biopsy. This typically happens during an oral cancer screening. If, during the screening, the dentist suspects that there may be signs of oral tissue damage or that an area looks like it might have oral cancer, the dentist will take a biopsy right then and there and send it off to a lab for study.
Other types of biopsies, like a gum biopsy or mouth tissue biopsy, or dental biopsy, can all serve similar purposes, to diagnose an issue like cancer, or gum disease, to determine the cause of lacerations in the mouth, or to check for further damage or infection, all of which can be very serious if left untreated.
You always want to make sure you wait and speak with your dentist before you start worrying if they order a biopsy. A biopsy is a diagnostic tool, just like a regular exam, only they are ordered after a dentist suspects a problem and wants to confirm it. They can be taken for several reasons but don’t always mean cancer.
Contrary to what some people believe, a biopsy doesn’t mean a lot of cutting and pain; a biopsy is just a small skin or tissue sample of the affected area. For example, if you have a lump or nodule on your tongue, the dentist will scrape off a piece for testing. The process is quick and virtually pain-free. They can take biopsies of masses inside the mouth, skin patches, lesions, gum tissue, cheek tissue, and just about any other hard or soft surface or substance you can find inside the mouth.
Once the biopsy is taken, it is sent to a lab for study. Depending on what the dentist suspects the tissue to be, it will be subjected to different tests. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, based on how busy the lab is and the number of tests that need to be run. After the results come back from the lab, the dentist can set you up with a treatment plan to deal with whatever issue.