Oral Pathology

Most unusual findings in the mouth turn out to be benign: an aphthous ulcer, a bite injury, a harmless fibroma. But making that distinction reliably requires a trained eye and an understanding of what warrants watching, what warrants testing, and what warrants immediate biopsy. That is oral pathology. Dr. Brien Hsu brings board-certification in Oral Medicine to every examination. The clinical evaluation of soft-tissue lesions, bone changes, and systemic conditions that affect the mouth is not a secondary skill here; it is a core specialty. We screen at every hygiene visit and at every comprehensive exam, and we maintain a record of any finding that warrants monitoring over time. Oral pathology encompasses a broad range of conditions: benign and malignant neoplasms, inflammatory and reactive lesions, cysts of the jaw, white and red lesions of the mucosa, autoimmune conditions affecting the oral tissues, vesiculobullous diseases, and pigmented lesions that need to be distinguished from melanoma. Some of these present as persistent sores, some as swelling, some as color changes, and some are discovered incidentally on imaging. When we find something that needs pathological confirmation, we perform the biopsy in our office under local anesthesia and send the specimen to a board-certified oral pathologist. We do not send patients elsewhere for that step unless the anatomy requires a different surgical approach. We also see patients on referral from other dentists and physicians who encounter oral findings outside their clinical comfort zone. A second opinion on an unusual lesion is always appropriate.