Brush Biopsy

Your routine dental visits for cleanings and exams help keep your teeth and gums healthy. But did you know that they can also benefit your health overall? At Don K. Flowers Jr., our dentist in Springfield, KY, can check your mouth for early warning signs of oral cancer. Finding it early — with help from a brush biopsy — may help improve outcomes.

What Is a Brush Biopsy?

You might already know what a biopsy is — it typically involves taking a sample of tissue to have it examined for cancer or other diseases. This usually involves invasive methods to obtain a sample. But a brush biopsy offers a much less invasive option.

This type of biopsy involves using a small brush to gather cells from a specific area of concern. For example, our dentist might use this brush to get cells from a growth or lesion in your mouth. The sample is examined to see if it’s cancerous.

How a Brush Biopsy Works

That depends in part on the type that’s used. With some, a computer system checks tissue samples for abnormal cells that may be benign or cancerous. Some use microRNA technology to check molecules for patterns that might be linked to oral cancer.

Why You Might Need a Brush Biopsy

Oral cancer screenings can be done as part of your usual dental checkup. If our dentist sees or feels any potential signs of this cancer, he may recommend having a brush biopsy done. This is a fast, pain-free way to determine if tissue samples are cancerous or precancerous. If you have any risk factors for oral cancer, this biopsy is even more important.

Risk Factors for Oral Cancer

Certain factors might increase your chance of developing oral cancer at some point in your life. Some of these factors include:

• Being a smoker
• Using tobacco or similar products
• Having oral cancer run in your family
• Having human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Drink alcohol heavily

Note that anyone can get oral cancer. But if our dentist finds possible signs of this disease — and you have one or more risk factors — a brush biopsy may be strongly recommended.

When to Have Oral Cancer Screenings Done

These screenings are important for everyone since anyone can develop this kind of cancer. Dr. Flowers can include a screening during your routine dental exams and cleanings for convenience.

Having this done twice a year helps us check for any signs of oral cancer so you can have further testing done. You also don’t have to worry about setting up separate visits for these screenings when they’re included in your regular dental visits.

How Dentists Check for Signs of Oral Cancer

During these screenings, Dr. Flowers looks for abnormalities in your mouth, such as reddish patches or lesions. He also checks for any unusual growths or lumps in tissues. If any possible signs are found, we can do a brush biopsy in Springfield, KY, right in our office.

Benefits of a Brush Biopsy

Why should you have this test done? This type of biopsy offers a few advantages, such as:

• Being less invasive than traditional biopsies that may require using a needle or undergoing surgery
• Providing a pain-free method compared to traditional biopsies that cause considerable discomfort
• Offering a way to detect oral cancer early for improved outcomes

Keep in mind that finding oral cancer in its early stages gives you a chance to have it treated right away. This helps reduce the risk of this disease spreading to other areas or leading to potentially serious complications.

What Happens During a Brush Biopsy?

Dr. Flowers uses a small brush to collect cells from an area of concern in your mouth, such as a lump or reddish patch. This type of biopsy doesn’t involve invasive procedures that may be painful so an anesthetic usually isn’t needed. The tissue sample we collect goes to a lab for analysis.

What Happens Afterward?

Our office will let you know the results of your biopsy as soon as we receive and review them. If they indicate cancerous or precancerous cells, Dr. Flowers will recommend talking to your doctor and having additional diagnostic testing done. If not, we encourage you to continue having oral cancer screenings during your twice-a-year dental cleanings.

FAQs

Does a brush biopsy hurt?

No, you shouldn’t experience any pain while having this done. The brush is soft and gathers samples from the surface of your skin so there are no invasive methods involved, such as a needle.

Is a brush biopsy safe?

Yes! This type of biopsy doesn’t have the risks of invasive biopsies, such as bleeding and infections. It allows us to collect a tissue sample from your mouth in a safe manner for analysis.

Do I need local anesthesia for a brush biopsy?

Since it’s not an invasive method, we don’t need to use a local anesthetic to numb the area.

Can I wait to have a brush biopsy done?

Have you been told that you should have one? While you always have the option to wait, doing so isn’t recommended. Delaying this simple process means that oral cancer might not be detected until it has become more severe. Early detection is important for addressing this disease promptly.

Does a brush biopsy mean I have oral cancer?

No, this type of biopsy doesn’t automatically mean that you have this disease. It’s a tool to determine if cells may be precancerous or cancerous. If your results are positive, you may need to have additional testing done for a more definitive diagnosis.

Do brush biopsies have any disadvantages?

They do have some limitations, such as not being 100% accurate — meaning that false positives are possible. But they do have high accuracy rates of around 90%. The advantages of brush biopsies outweigh any limitations.

Visit Our Dentist for a Brush Biopsy

Do you need to have this kind of biopsy done? At Don K. Flowers Jr., we can do oral cancer screenings during routine exams. If needed, we can also do a brush biopsy in Springfield, KY, in our office for your convenience.