Personal Diagnosis
Our consultant will carry out a thorough inspection of your oral cavity, as part of a complete head and neck examination. Discussion of your medical history and any ongoing medical treatment may offer useful insight.
A fair range of oral lesions will be recognised by an experienced consultant, who can then create a personal treatment plan.
Where additional information is required to confirm diagnosis, a biopsy provides tissue for microscopic study. This requires careful removal of part of an oral lesion, or complete removal, before in depth lab analysis.
A biopsy is a brief procedure (15-30 minutes) under local anaesthetic and is the gold standard for diagnosing a range of lesions.
A few (normally soluble) stitches are sometimes needed, however discomfort or swelling are usually minimal and your day should not be overly affected. Driving, travelling, or returning to work will be fine in most cases.
Treating Oral Lesions
If a biopsy was required, this can prove that lesions are benign, premalignant, or cancerous. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of oral cancer.
Treatment can vary, or be extended but in a majority of cases, day surgery to remove the lesions will be the best solution. You should still remember that oral lesions and ulcers have many causes beyond cancer.
They can arise from biting yourself during chewing, ill fitting dentures, certain types of food and drink. Medical conditions and infections mentioned above, along with many more can bring lesions to a sensitive area.
The breadth of conditions has a treatment range to match. Topical corticosteroids can help, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial agents, in dissolvable tablet form, an inhaler, or a mouthwash.
For severe cases, systemic medication may be required. For those and lower level disease, changes to oral hygiene routines can help to prevent secondary infection.
Care At Our London Clinic
Treatment is tailored to the nature and severity of the problem, with pain levels always taken into account. The frequency and numbers of lesions can be factors, how responsive they have been to previous treatment.
Care at our London clinic is individual, for a problem we know can bring life affecting physical, or psychological issues.
Facilities are in place to assist, from surgery in our day unit, to care in leading London hospitals we work with. Where dental problems, or a need for jaw surgery lay at the root of oral conditions, they are managed in house.
Having expert support on site matters, part of being able to carry out a coordinated treatment plan. By all means get in touch with our friendly team.
