Oral Pathology

Here at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania, we provide oral pathology procedures. If your doctor finds any suspicious bumps, lumps, or spots on the lips, gums, inside the cheeks or on the tongue, they will perform more tests through oral pathology. Your doctor will inspect your nose, mouth and throat. 

Before beginning oral pathology, we look for common signs and symptoms of oral cancer, such as the following:

 

• Sores in the mouth or gums that bleed and don’t heal


• Red or white patches in the mouth


• Chronic sore throat or hoarseness of the throat


• Difficulty with chewing or swallowing


• Thickening or lumps of the skin inside the mouth

 

During oral pathology, a biopsy may be needed. We remove a very small piece of tissue in the mouth and run it through a series of tests. The tissue is removed under anesthesia so no pain is experienced. At the laboratory, a pathologist looks for signs of cancer cells, which can take about two weeks to complete. If results are positive for oral cancer, we consult the patient about their next steps.

We push our patients to be diligent about their oral health, even encouraging them to perform self-examinations at home. If you feel that you might need an oral pathology consultation, please visit our website www.oralsurgerypa.com to schedule an appointment.

Oral Pathology

Here at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania, we provide oral pathologyprocedures . If you or your dentist finds suspicious bumps, lumps, or spots on the lips, gums, inside the cheeks or on the tongue,  visit us for biopsy of these growths.

 

Before beginning oral pathology, we look for common signs and symptoms of oral cancer, such as the following:

• Sores in the mouth or gums that bleed and don’t heal
• Red or white patches in the mouth
• Chronic sore throat or hoarseness of the throat
• Difficulty with chewing or swallowing
• Thickening or lumps of the skin inside the mouth

During oral pathology, a biopsy may be needed. We remove a very small piece of tissue in the mouth and run it through a series of tests. The tissue is removed under anesthesia so no pain is experienced. At the laboratory, a pathologist looks for signs of cancer cells, which can take about two weeks to complete. If results are positive for oral cancer, we consult the patient about their next steps.

Call us at 215-463-4141 to learn more about oral pathology and oral cancer detection.

Apicoectomy

For most patients with an infection of the nerves or roots of the teeth, a root canal procedure is enough to get rid of the infected tissue and help save the tooth from extraction. But in some cases, it does not solve the problem, in which a procedure called an apicoectomy is needed.

 

At Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania, we provide the apicoectomy for patients who are still experiencing difficulties with their teeth after the root canal procedure is complete. The procedure removes infected tissue while still saving the tooth structure.

 

We perform the following steps when providing an apicoectomy:

 

1. X-rays are taken during the consultation to be sure an apicoectomy is needed.

2. The procedure begins by giving patients anesthesia to numb the area.

3. We make a small incision in the gum, lifting it away from the tooth.

4. A drill is used to get access to the root of the tooth, where the infected tissue can be removed.

5. We look for cracks in the tooth to decide if the tooth needs to be extracted.

6. The tooth canal is cleaned and sealed, followed by sutures if needed.

 

This procedure is very similar to a root canal, with about the same healing and recovery time. Call any of our four locations to schedule an appointment for an apicoectomy.

Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

Pre-prosthetic surgery is a necessary procedure performed by our doctors before your general dentist assists you for a  partial or complete denture. After a tooth is extracted, the area beneath the tooth is jagged or uneven, which requires pre-prosthetic surgery in many cases. The unevenness makes it difficult to place a prosthesis, so we provide pre-prosthesis surgery here at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania to rectify the situation. It helps level out the prosthesis site, so your general dentist can proceed with making the partial or complete denture.

 

During the pre-prosthetic procedure, the excess bone underneath the missing teeth is removed and excess gum tissue is also removed. We also provide bone ridge reduction, bone leveling, and bone reshaping during this procedure to prepare for dentures or partials.

 

The comfort of our patients is very important, so we provide several anesthesia and sedation methods. This includes local anesthesia, general anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and conscious intravenous sedation.

 

If you have missing teeth and are thinking about getting a complete set of dentures or partials, we highly recommend making an appointment with us here at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania to find out if you need pre-prosthetic surgery. Whichever is more convenient, visit us in our Philadelphia, Clifton Heights, or Folsom, PA location to learn more about this procedure and whether or not you are in need of it.