Follow us on Twitter
Read our Blog
Biopsies
After the physical examination of your mouth, if we find any areas that are suspicious, we may recommend a biopsy. This is simply taking a small portion of the suspicious tissue that is sent to an oral pathologist for examination under a microscope.
Types of Biopsies
Incisional
The most traditional type of biopsy is incisional. In an incisional biopsy, we will remove part or the entire lesion depending on its size and our ability to define the extent of it at this early stage. The sample of tissue is then sent to a pathologist who examines the tissue under a microscope to check for abnormal or malignant cells.
Fine Needle Biopsy
When dealing with an area of significant mass, such as an enlarged lymph node, fine needle aspiration cytology (fine needle biopsy or FNB) is reliable and relatively inexpensive. A small needle attached to a syringe is inserted into the questionable mass, and cells are aspirated, or pulled out into the syringe.
Punch Biopsy
In this case, a very small circular blade is pressed down into the suspect area cutting a round border and removing a perfect plug of cells from the sampled area. The area where the plug was removed will not bleed much, and heals normally without the need for any stitches since it is so small.
