A patient will require a biopsy of the lesion if there is a suspicion that they have oral cancer in order to receive a diagnosis. The process of taking an oral biopsy can be done in several ways. Fortunately, with a little numbing medication (either a spray, a little injection, or both), virtually all oral tumours may be biopsied in the doctor's office. The biopsy will be completed in a short amount of time.
Once a portion of the lesion has been removed, gauze will be used to apply pressure in order to halt any little bleeding that may have occurred due to the biopsy. The doctor may use a chemical cautery, such silver nitrate, to stop the bleeding if it doesn't cease in a few minutes.