Leukoplakia

One of the services Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania provides is biopsies for leukoplakia. If you’ve been referred to us for an excision, you probably already have some idea of what that means. But if you’ve just noticed a white spot on the soft tissue of your mouth that won’t go away, we want you to understand why it’s important to get that examined and what your next steps might be.

Leukoplakia is the development of a thick white lesion on the gums, tongue, or inside of the cheek in response to prolonged irritation. It is not necessarily cancerous, but it might be, especially when the lesion is irregularly shaped and accompanied by red spots. Leukoplakia most often develops in response to the use of tobacco and alcohol products, but it can also result from poorly fitted dentures or bridges rubbing against soft tissues. Sometimes a dentist might send a patient to our oral surgery office to have the lesion removed and analysed. A lesion might also be caused by a viral infection in a person with a weakened immune system.

Leukoplakia lesions will usually disappear when the source of irritation is removed. That may require a patient to stop smoking or to cut back on alcohol. We can refit patients’ prosthetic devices and determine whether their other teeth are likely to cause irritation in the future. People with leukoplakia-related viruses are likely to be prescribed medication, but non-cancerous leukoplakia is unlikely to be painful.

 Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operate in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA.

 

Flossing Technique

Flossing is an essential part of oral hygiene. At Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania, many of our patients are people who have had some of their teeth replaced and have conditions that put them at especially high risk for tooth decay. Since prosthetic teeth are also vulnerable to bacterial build-up, we want to ensure our patients know how to take care of themselves.

You’ll want to use a lengthy strand of floss and to wrap its ends around your middle fingers. This will allow you to move the floss with your pointer fingers and thumbs. Slide the floss next to each tooth and wrap it around the crown to gather up as much tartar as possible. Don’t push against your gums, but do slide the floss as deeply as it will go and use an up-and-down motion to clean thoroughly. Make sure you’re cleaning each side of each tooth, not just sliding the floss between them, and don’t forget the backs of your back teeth. As you go from tooth to tooth, unspool more floss so you aren’t just spreading food debris around. When you’ve flossed each side of each tooth, rinse your mouth.

Some people have trouble with dexterity and may benefit from using a flosser. People who have fixed bridges may also need to use a threader to loop floss under the bridge. Although there’s no solid evidence about whether it’s better to brush or floss first, people should be flossing at least once a day. Always speak with the dental hygenist at your dental office, if you have questions about how to care for your teeth.

 Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operates in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA.