After Oral Pathology Treatment

Your care after a biopsy or more extensive procedure is dependent on the exact procedure done. You should carefully follow the instructions given to you on the day of the procedure.

In general, most small biopsies or removal of small lesions (ìlumpsî) in your mouth involves making an incision, removing the lesion, and placing some stitches that generally dissolve on their own between 5 and 14 days. A small amount of swelling may occur, possibly even some bruising, but in many cases there is none. While pain is of course variable, most biopsy procedures result in very little discomfort and are similar to having bit your tongue for a couple of days, with perhaps some tenderness to touch and even a small blood tinge in your saliva.

If you feel you have much more swelling or bleeding than is normal, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

It is important that you receive the results of your biopsy or of any tissue removed for oral pathology. The tissue is sent to a pathologist to examine under a microscope to get a definitive diagnosis, and this process may take up to 3 weeks for the result to be returned.

If you were instructed to return for a check-up several weeks following your procedure, it is at this appointment that the surgeon will review the healing in the area and go over the biopsy result with you (i.e. the diagnosis of the condition). It is very important to return for this appointment, and if one was not made and your surgeon has not called you within 3 weeks, you may wish to call the office to try to find the result.