Oral Pathology deals with the diagnosis and assessment of the inside of the mouth (from the lips to the gum tissue) which is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and coral pink in colour. The teeth and palate are lined with gum tissue (gingivae). Any alteration in the normal appearance of these tissues could be a warning sign for a pathological process. The most serious of these is oral cancer.
What is Oral Pathology?
Oral Biopsies
A gum biopsy is a medical procedure in which Dr. Wierzbicki removes a sample of your tissue from your gums. He then sends this sample to a laboratory for testing. The word Gingiva is another word for gums, so a gum biopsy can also be called a Gingival Biopsy.
Dr. Wierzbicki performs this Gingival Biopsy to diagnose any potential abnormal gum tissue. This can include oral cancer or non-cancerous lesions or growths.
Diagnosis & Management of Oral Lesions
When Dr. Wierzbicki diagnoses your oral lesions, he is looking at eight potential steps to describing and recording his clinical findings. They are:
- Location
- Distribution and definition
- Size
- Shape
- Color
- Consistency
- Texture
- History
Soft tissue lesions can be indicative of gingivitis, periodontal disease, local or systemic infection, benign tumors or other possibly more serious conditions.
Do you have questions about Oral Pathology?
Please contact us are happy to answer any questions you may have!
