Oral Pathology

Oral pathology is the study and treatment of diseases that affect the mouth, face, and jaw. During routine dental exams, a general dentist will evaluate your mouth for the presence of any oral disease. If a pathology is suspected, you will visit an oral surgeon for further evaluation, diagnosing, and treatment. The surgeons and oral pathology experts at Full Smile Dental provide treatment for oral disease in Dumas, Canyon, Amarillo, Farwell, and Dalhart, TX. 

Types of Oral Diseases

Oral pathology covers a vast range of issues, as there are a number of pathologies that can affect the oral and maxillofacial regions. Examples of some oral diseases that are detected and treated by an oral pathologist include: 

• Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a highly contagious virus that may or may not show symptoms
• Candidiasis (thrush), a fungal overgrowth inside the mouth
• Black hairy tongue, which occurs when dead skin cells collect on the bumps (papillae) on the tongue’s surface 
• Oral cancer, primarily caused by HPV, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption 

Signs and Symptoms of Oral Disease 

Dental health professionals recommend performing an oral self-exam monthly. This allows you to become familiar with the way the inside of your mouth looks and feels, and if you notice anything different, you can receive treatment promptly. 

To do this, stand in front of a mirror and open your mouth. Look and feel around the insides of your cheeks, under the tongue, on the roof of the mouth, around all of your teeth, and into the throat. You should look for these signs and abnormalities: 

• Unusual sore or lump
• Changes to the color of your tongue 
• White or red patches 
• Cracking or redness at the corners of your mouth
• Blisters around the lips, face, or tongue 
• Wounds within the mouth that do not heal 

If you experience any of these, contact Full Smile Dental for an evaluation. Other signs to watch out for include tingling around the lips, dry mouth, loss of taste, or pain or difficulty when eating. 

Treatment for Oral Pathology 

The type of treatment you receive will depend on the type of oral cancer or disease and its severity. When an issue is caught early, there is a higher chance of success. Fungal or viral infections can be managed with medications or creams. Eliminating environmental factors such as smoking and heavy alcohol consumption will greatly reduce the chance of oral diseases from returning, as well as help prevent them in the first place. 

There are several treatments for oral cancer. If there is a lump or growth, your surgeon will perform a biopsy. If it is benign, or non-cancerous, he or she will simply remove it. If oral cancer is confirmed, surgery may be required to remove the affected lymph nodes and tissues from the neck or mouth. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted drug therapy may be necessary to treat the cancer and prevent it from spreading. 

According to the World Health Organization, 30–50% of all cancers are preventable. You can significantly decrease your risk of developing oral cancer and other types of cancer by avoiding tobacco products, consuming alcohol in moderation, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, performing regular oral self-exams, practicing good oral hygiene, and seeing your dentist and other healthcare providers for regular checkups.