You should see our periodontist any time that you experience something out of the ordinary with the soft tissues of your mouth, including your lips, tongue, teeth, cheeks, or the hard or soft palates. You should reach out to our office if you experience sores, ulcers or lesions, white or red patches, swelling in your gums or soft tissues, loose teeth, or ill-fitting oral appliances. We may want to schedule you for an oral biopsy.

After sterilizing the area, our periodontist will provide you with a local anesthetic to minimize any potential discomfort. Then, a sample of the area will be taken and sent to a lab for analysis. You may experience numbness for several hours after your visit, and the biopsy site may be sore for a few days. We may ask you to avoid brushing the area until it has healed, and if you experience continued discomfort, contact our office.

Once we have the results of the biopsy, we will schedule you for another visit to discuss those results and plan the next step for your treatment.