Any mouth abnormalities can be identified during a routine checkup by an oral health care professional at Dental World of Marietta.

This can be oral lesions of any kind.

• lingering mouth sores
• suspicious patches on the gums
• lips or tongue
• any unexplained lumps

To check them for cancer cells, an oral biopsy is performed. The specialist cuts out a tiny part (incisional biopsy) or most of the suspicious-looking tissue (excisional) under local anesthesia and sends it to an oral pathologist. This sample tissue will then be closely checked under a microscope. Depending on whether it is cancerous or not, you will be prescribed with further treatment or additional checkups.

Oral biopsies are generally painless and don’t last longer than 15 minutes. A more invasive procedure consisting in the removal of a bigger area may leave a small hole that requires stitching. Stitches will dissolve on their own after 10-14 days.