Biopsy

Inside the mouth is normally lined with a special type of skin (mucosa) that is smooth and pink in color. Any alteration in appearance of this may be a warning sign for a pathological procedure such as a biopsy. Examples of this could be reddish or whitish patches in the mouth, a sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily, a lump or thickening on the mucosal lining inside the mouth or tongue. These changes can be detected in the lips, cheeks, palate, and gum tissue around the teeth, tongue, face, and/or neck. Pain does not always occur with pathology and curiously is not often associated with oral cancer. However, any patient with facial and/or oral pain without an obvious cause or reason may be at risk for oral cancer.