What this covers
Oral pathology is the part of dentistry concerned with disease in the soft tissues of the mouth rather than the teeth: the lining of the cheeks, the tongue, the floor of the mouth, the palate, the gums and the lips.
Dr. Diala holds a Diploma in Oral Pathology from Saint Joseph University, which is an unusual qualification to find in a general dental clinic in Beirut. More about her training.
What people come in with
- An ulcer that has not healed
- A white patch that will not rub off
- A red or speckled patch
- A lump or a swelling, inside the cheek, on the tongue, or under the jaw
- A rough or thickened area
- Persistent soreness or burning with no obvious cause
- A numb patch
What happens at the appointment
A careful examination of the whole mouth, not just the area you noticed, along with the history: how long, whether it changes, whether anything makes it better or worse, and what medication you take.
Many things are diagnosed on examination and resolve once the cause is dealt with, for example a sharp tooth edge or a denture that needs adjusting. Where the diagnosis is not certain from looking, the answer is a biopsy, which is a small procedure under local anaesthetic.
The reason not to wait
Almost everything found in a mouth is harmless. The small number of things that are not are far easier to treat when they are small. That is the whole argument, and it is why three weeks is the number to remember.