If you notice tissue changes in your gums or other parts of your mouth, it’s important to find out the cause and get treatment if necessary. At Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jenny Herman, DDS, Barry Biner, DDS, and their skilled staff, offer a biopsy to detect or rule out cancer and other common oral health issues. Call the office to find out if you need a biopsy or request an appointment online today.
A biopsy at Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants is a minor procedure in which your periodontist removes a small amount of gum or other tissue from your mouth. They then examine the tissues to diagnose or rule out oral health problems, such as mouth or gum cancers.
Your Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants provider may recommend an oral biopsy if you experience one or more of the following:
Tell your dental provider any time you experience new, painful, or unusual symptoms in your mouth.
In addition to a gum biopsy, you may also need X-rays, a CT scan, or an MRI to diagnose specific oral health conditions and determine the best course of treatment.
Some of the gum biopsies available at Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants include:
Your periodontist removes an entire lesion or growth and some surrounding tissue during an excisional biopsy.
During an incisional gum biopsy, your Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants specialist removes part of the suspicious tissue and examines it under a microscope or sends the tissue to a lab.
A brush biopsy is a noninvasive way to obtain a sample of cells within your mouth. Your provider rubs the brush against unusual-looking tissues and analyzes the sample.
Before a biopsy, your Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants provider numbs the treatment area, if needed, to make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable while they extract unusual tissues from your mouth. They also clean the treatment area and are very careful when gently extracting targeted tissues. For larger biopsies, you may need stitches to close the remaining open wounds.
While there’s no downtime after a biopsy, you may experience some tenderness at the site of the biopsy. Take medicines as directed and avoid vigorously brushing your teeth near the biopsy site until it heals.
Your Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants specialist reviews the results of your biopsy and lets you know if you’re a candidate for treatment.
To find out if a biopsy is right for you, call the Baton Rouge Periodontics & Implants office or request an appointment online today.
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