Because the teeth and gums are incredibly complicated and complex structures, there are many types of disease that can occur in the mouth. Sometimes, an Oral Pathologist is needed to identify the disease to help determine the most suitable treatment.
An Oral Pathologist is a dentist who has at least 2 years of postdoctoral education and specializes in the microscopic identification of oral tissue samples. They are usually employed in hospitals and dental schools where they have access to all the specialist equipment to perform their role.
If you consulted with your dentists about a suspicious-looking oral issue that they were not able to identify themselves, they would take a biopsy (remove a small sample piece of tissue) from that area. They would then send the tissue sample to an Oral Pathologist for microscopic identification, and then develop a treatment plan based on the results.