Dental Biopsy – Need, Procedure, Risks and Precautions

What is Biopsy

A simple process of surgery to extract samples of bone or soft tissue from the body for further medical examination is called biopsy. In dental case, this could be gum tissue, a jaw piece or a tooth to examine better.

This Oral surgery is executed when the dentist wants to understand the collected sample in the laboratory. The basic objective of conducting biopsy is to detect the sources of the lesions or any irregularity. This irregularity may be the result of any injury or sickness. The lesions could be in the location of bone or the soft tissue that might not look normal. It could be a patch on the skin or lump, looking odd due to its different texture and color.

Types of Biopsies

Biopsies are of two kinds - incisional and the excisional. The formal biopsies will only extract a tiny piece of cell from the lesion and it will be considered as sample while the later biopsies will detach the whole lesion altogether.

Assertion of the type of biopsy entirely depends on multiple factors. Like, if the lesion is small and if your dentist hopes that it is not cancerous then an excisional biopsy can be conducted and if the patch is huge and it gives a reason to believe that it could be malignant your dental surgeon would apply incisional biopsy.

Why to Perform Biopsies

Biopsies are facilitated for taking off lesions completely or partially with a motive to examine it in the laboratory. This process is mostly done when your dental surgeon apprehends that the lesion is cancerous. Often biopsies are also conducted to diagnose some other non-cancerous conditions.

Preparations for Biopsy

For biopsy, you would be required to rinse your mouth with an antibacterial fluid to avoid any infections. Dentist will also taint your mouth to have a clearer view of the lesion. If you would require a bone biopsy then computed tomography scans or x-rays would be required before the surgery. Mostly the oral biopsies are conducted at the dentist’s office administering local anaesthesia and you remain fully conscious in this state.

Procedure of Biopsy

In the procedure or biopsy, the lesions of soft cells are taken off with the help of laser or a scalpel and post this procedure the location is stitched closed. In case the lesion is in the bone, a drill is used to access the right location of the lesion by removing bone and the cells capping the bone is closed through stitches once the sample is extracted.

Post Surgery Soreness and Swelling

Once the influence of the local anesthetic subsides after a couple of hours, you may feel slight pain or swelling in the area that has been operated upon. Your dentist would prescribe simple painkillers like ibuprofen and paracetamol to offer relief from the pain and cut down the swelling. More often than not, any type of discomfort can survive only for a couple of days.

Bleeding

Albeit, there could be some bleeding during the biopsy, this generally stops quickly and there is almost nil chances of further bleeding once the wound is stitched. If the biopsy site continues to bleed, you can stop this by applying pressure on the area for 10 minutes using a swab or clean rolled-up piece of cotton. Still, if the bleeding seizes to stop, immediately contact your oral dentist.

Resume Work

This entirely depends on your job and your personal comfort ability after this surgery. The majority of people resume their work in the later part of the same day. If you feel uncomfortable for some day you can take rest.

Follow-up Procedure

You would be advised to have over-the-counter pain killers in the event if you feel discomfort in the operated area. Eating soft foods, rinsing with warm salted water and especially rinsing with antibacterial solutions will be advisable for a few days. Your dental surgeon may also prescribe you some antibiotics to avoid infection. You would be asked to revisit clinic after two weeks of the surgery to examine the wound and ensure that your wound is recuperating properly.

It is suggested not to bite the numb location of your mouth. Don doesn't rinse your mouth too hard on the day of surgery, it may lead to bleeding. Clean your teeth as usual including the teeth sitting next to the location of the biopsy to avoid any infection. If you see some food particles lodged in and around the site of biopsy, rinse it gently to dislodge it using a mouthwash or warm salt water.

Risks Associated with a Biopsy

It may happen that the bleeding may continue for a few days and if it lasts for a long time you need to consult your dental surgeon to stop it. There is a thin possibility of the operated site being infected post surgery. This could be due to the presence of various bacteria in the mouth. Under these circumstances your surgeon would advise you to rely on antibacterial rinses, antibiotics medicines and often both also to reduce the risk of infection of any kind. There is a bleak chance that during the surgery, your surgeon may damage some blood vessels and nerves located nearby. This risk can be reduced by X-rays and expert knowledge of your surgeon about the mouth anatomy.

When to Seek Medical Help

If you witness increased swelling, fever, chills, continuous bleeding and numbness even after a successful biopsy, you should take help of your oral surgeon immediately. These are some unusual signs that require immediate medical attention.

 

Biopsy is a very simple process but you need to be prepared and knowledgeable to understand the risks associated; expectations from this surgery and the exact procedure of the same to face the surgery! So, have a closer understanding of this oral dental surgery, who knows if you ever have to undergo this procedure in future!