01
Before you arrive
Bring reports, scans, and a medicine list. Eat as you normally would unless you have been told to stay fasting. Note when the problem started and what makes it better or worse.
Patient guide
A guide for your visit.
These notes are a starting point. Your own instructions after a visit always come first. If something here differs from what you were told, follow the advice given to you in person.
The first consultation
A visit is a conversation, then an examination.
02
During the visit
You will be asked about your health and examined. Findings are explained as they are seen. You can ask for the same point again in simpler words.
03
Before you leave
You should know whether anything urgent was found, what the next test or visit is, and how to reach the clinic if symptoms change.
Screening
Why a quiet ulcer still deserves a date on the calendar.
Oral cancer is more treatable when it is found small. Pain is a late guide. Tobacco, areca nut, and alcohol raise risk, but people without those habits can still develop disease. A screening visit is short and does not commit you to treatment.
If someone in the family has had head and neck cancer, or if a dentist has pointed to a patch, do not wait for it to “settle on its own” beyond two weeks.
A useful rule
Any mouth sore, patch, or lump that is still there after fourteen days should be examined by a clinician who looks at these problems regularly.
After surgery
Simple care that helps most people recover more comfortably.
Rest and food
Plan a quiet day after oral surgery. Soft, cool or lukewarm food is usually kinder than hot, spicy, or crunchy meals. Drink enough water.
Swelling and bruising
The face can look worse on the second day than the first. A cold pack wrapped in cloth, used as advised, often helps. Sleeping with the head a little raised can too.
Medicines
Take pain relief and antibiotics exactly as written. Do not add leftover medicines from another illness without asking.
When to call
Get in touch if bleeding soaks dressings and does not slow with pressure, if fever rises, if pain suddenly worsens after improving, or if you cannot swallow fluids.
FAQ
Questions asked before the first visit.
See a specialist if you have a lump, an ulcer that has not healed in two weeks, difficulty opening the mouth, a jaw that no longer meets correctly after an injury, facial swelling, or if your dentist has asked for a surgical opinion. Routine fillings and cleanings stay with your dentist.