To many people, complex oral health care often means the need for a specific type of oral surgery to address a foundation and/or functional issue with their oral health. This might include severe tooth loss, or damage or malformation of the jawbone. However, specialized oral health care can also involve diagnosing and tracking certain, less subtle changes in your oral health. In some cases, these changes may indicate a much more severe concern, such as periodontitis or oral cancer, and oral pathology could be the key to successfully managing with it.

To many people, complex oral health care often means the need for a specific type of oral surgery to address a foundation and/or functional issue with their oral health. This might include severe tooth loss, or damage or malformation of the jawbone. However, specialized oral health care can also involve diagnosing and tracking certain, less subtle changes in your oral health. In some cases, these changes may indicate a much more severe concern, such as periodontitis or oral cancer, and oral pathology could be the key to successfully managing with it.

What oral pathology means

Oral pathology is the specific oral health discipline that involves studying, diagnosing, and treating chronic diseases of the mouth and oral tissues. While specific types of disease can be similar, the symptoms and effects of an oral disease’s progression can differ from patient. Oral pathology is an important part of maintaining your good oral and overall health, and can help you detect and address significant concerns in their earliest stages, when chances of successful treatment are highest.

Oral pathological warning signs

Because oral health concerns can manifest differently for everyone, it’s important to have a specialist experienced in oral pathology diagnose and track their development and progression. For example, some of the common, but often missed, signs of an oral pathological concern may include one or more of the following:

• Changes in colour in certain areas of tissue
• Lesions, or bumps, that reappear or don’t go away
• Sores that do not heal quickly, or at all
• Rough patches or oral tissue
• Inflammation that doesn’t subside

The future of your oral and overall health

Given the complex nature of many chronic oral health concerns, the appearance of one or more changes in your oral tissues may not immediately indicate a specific disease. Oral pathology includes comprehensive, detailed diagnostic exams and the study of up-to-date oral health records to help better determine the state of your oral and overall health.  By understanding these changes and your unique oral health concerns, you can take proper steps to address any potentially serious concerns early, and with the right expert treatment .

DR. SHIVANI BHANDARI

MDS 2ND YEAR

(ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL PATHOLOGY)