---
title: "What Is Biopsy? Dental Glossary | Town Center Dental"
description: "A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of tissue, such as from a sore or patch in the mouth, so a lab can examine it under a microscope."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/biopsy
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Procedures

# Biopsy

A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of tissue, such as from a sore or patch in the mouth, so a lab can examine it under a microscope.

If a spot in the mouth looks unusual or does not heal, a dentist may suggest a biopsy. The dentist numbs the area with local anesthesia and takes a small tissue sample. A lab then looks at the tissue. A biopsy does not mean cancer. It is how a doctor finds out what a spot is. A review in the NIH library says a firm diagnosis can be confirmed only by an adequate surgical biopsy and exam of the tissue. Your dentist may send you to another doctor to have it done. See [oral cancer screening](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/oral-cancer-screening) and [leukoplakia](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/leukoplakia). You can also read about the [oral cancer screening](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/oral-cancer-screening) at Town Center Dental.

[Town Center Dental can helpOral Cancer Screening](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/oral-cancer-screening)

## Related terms

-   [Oral cancer screening](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/oral-cancer-screening)
-   [Leukoplakia](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/leukoplakia)
-   [Mouth sores](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/mouth-sores)
-   [Canker sore](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/canker-sore)
-   [Dental exam](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-exam)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PubMed Central: Oral soft tissue biopsy surgery: Current principles and key tissue stabilization techniques](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10829751/)

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