Dental Emergency Mobile AL

Tongue Biopsy

If a lesion is present on or under the tongue and needs further examination, a tongue biopsy will be performed.  When you are having a routine dental exam your dentist or hygienist will check the soft tissues and mucous membranes in your mouth and this includes your tongue.  They will check for abnormalities or any signs of oral cancer.  If a tongue lesion is present, the area may need to be rechecked in a week or two to rule out an infection or trauma.  If the area remains suspicious, a referral to an oral surgeon is the next step to do a tongue biopsy.

With any biopsy, it is a minor surgery that provides a specialist with a sample of the area for them to examine under a microscope.  A local anesthetic is usually applied and is sufficient for the procedure.  In some cases, a biopsy would need to be done under general anesthesia.  A small portion of the tongue would be removed and examined to determine the type of cells that are causing the abnormality.

When you are referred to an oral surgeon, the oral surgeon’s office will explain all the prep and post-op care!  Depending on the nature of the lesion, the surgeon will most likely remove all the area.  Sometimes they opt to just remove a small portion.  Sometimes sutures are needed to close the incision but dissolve in 10 days to 2 weeks. The procedure takes less than 2 hours to complete.  Your tissue sample will be sent to a lab for diagnosis to determine pathology.  Dental Emergency Mobile AL

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