Oral Medicine

The Physician of the Mouth

Raleigh Oral Surgery & Dental Implants is proud to offer one of the Triangle's only private-practice oral medicine providers — bringing hospital-level expertise to the conditions that are often the hardest to diagnose and treat.

Some oral conditions go beyond routine dentistry. Mysterious sores that won't heal. Chronic burning or pain with no clear cause. Autoimmune diseases affecting the mouth. Complex medication histories that require expert oversight. These are exactly the conditions that oral medicine was created to address — and exactly why we brought Dr. Brianna Ingram to our team.

Oral medicine sits at the intersection of dentistry and medicine. Dr. Ingram functions as a physician of the mouth — trained to diagnose, manage, and coordinate care for the most complex oral and orofacial conditions, including those connected to systemic diseases, cancer treatment, and autoimmune disorders. Whether you've been referred by your dentist, your physician, or you're seeking answers on your own — we're here to help.

A Specialty Built for the Most Complex Cases

Oral medicine is the dental specialty focused on the diagnosis and medical management of conditions affecting the mouth, jaw, and surrounding structures — particularly in patients with complex medical histories.

Formally recognized as the 11th dental specialty by the American Dental Association in 2020, oral medicine specialists complete years of advanced training beyond dental school — including intensive medical rotations in oncology, neurology, rheumatology, dermatology, ENT, and more. The result is a provider uniquely capable of treating conditions that fall between the worlds of medicine and dentistry.

Oral medicine specialists:

• Think like physicians — taking comprehensive medical histories, ordering and interpreting laboratory tests, prescribing systemic medications
• Diagnose conditions that other providers have struggled to identify
• Manage complex, chronic oral conditions with medical-level expertise
• Coordinate care with your other medical specialists — oncologists, rheumatologists, neurologists, and more

The American Academy of Oral Medicine defines oral medicine as "the specialty of dentistry responsible for the oral health care of medically complex patients and for the diagnosis and management of medically-related diseases, disorders, and conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region."

Oral medicine is primarily non-surgical. While procedures like biopsies and injections are part of the toolkit, the specialty's focus is on diagnosis, medical management, and coordination of care — not surgery.

If It's Complex, Chronic, or Confusing — We've Seen It Before

Dr. Ingram diagnoses and manages a wide range of conditions. If you've been told your condition is unusual, difficult to diagnose, or outside your dentist's expertise — you're in the right place.

Oral Mucosal Conditions

The soft tissues of the mouth — cheeks, tongue, gums, palate — can develop a wide range of conditions that require specialist evaluation:

• Oral ulcers and sores that won't heal
• White or red patches (leukoplakia, erythroplakia) — potentially pre-cancerous
• Recurrent canker sores (aphthous stomatitis) — affecting more than half the population
• Oral infections — bacterial, viral (herpes simplex, HPV), and fungal (thrush)
• Drug reactions and allergic responses in the mouth

Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases

Many autoimmune diseases show their first signs in the mouth — sometimes before any other diagnosis has been made. Dr. Ingram is trained to recognize and manage these conditions:

• Oral lichen planus — chronic inflammatory condition with white lacy patches or painful ulcers; requires long-term management and monitoring for malignant change
• Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) — rare blistering disorder affecting the mucous membranes
• Pemphigus vulgaris — serious autoimmune blistering disease; often presents in the mouth first
• Sjögren's syndrome — autoimmune condition causing severe dry mouth and eyes
• Lupus (SLE) — oral ulcers are among its most common early signs

Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD/TMJ)

Unexplained facial pain, jaw pain, or tooth pain can have complex causes — many of which are best diagnosed by an oral medicine provider:

• TMJ disorders — joint pain, clicking, limited mouth opening, disc displacement, arthritis
• Burning mouth syndrome — chronic burning in the mouth with no visible cause; affects roughly 2% of the population, and is up to seven times more common in women
• Atypical odontalgia (phantom tooth pain) — neuropathic pain in teeth or extraction sites with no identifiable dental cause; frequently misdiagnosed
• Myofascial pain syndrome — muscle-based jaw and facial pain

Salivary Gland Disorders

• Dry mouth (xerostomia) — from medications (the most common cause), Sjögren's syndrome, radiation therapy, or systemic disease; significantly affects quality of life, dental health, and the ability to eat and speak
• Salivary gland infections and blockages (sialadenitis, sialolithiasis/salivary stones)
• Salivary gland tumors — evaluation and biopsy
• Radiation-induced salivary dysfunction — management for cancer patients

Oral Complications of Cancer Treatment

Cancer patients face unique oral health challenges before, during, and after treatment. Dr. Ingram works closely with oncology teams to protect oral health throughout the cancer journey:

• Oral mucositis — painful inflammation of the mouth lining caused by chemotherapy or radiation; expert management allows patients to continue treatment with fewer interruptions
• Post-radiation management — dry mouth, infection risk, and wound healing challenges
• Oral cancer screening and monitoring — early detection of pre-cancerous lesions and oral cancers; over 60% of oropharyngeal cancers involve HPV

Oral Manifestations of Systemic Disease

The mouth is a window to the rest of the body. Many systemic diseases present their first signs as oral symptoms:

• Diabetes mellitus
• HIV/AIDS
• Blood disorders (anemia, leukemia)
• Crohn's disease and inflammatory bowel disease
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Dermatologic conditions (lichen planus, psoriasis, pemphigus)

Access to a Rare Specialty — Without the Hospital Waiting List

Oral medicine providers are rare. Nationally, there are only nine accredited oral medicine residency programs in all of North America — producing a handful of new specialists per year. Most board-certified oral medicine specialists work in dental schools or hospital-based clinics, where wait times can stretch for months.

Raleigh Oral Surgery & Dental Implants is one of the only private practices in the Triangle offering in-house oral medicine care. That means:

• No referral to a dental school required — get specialist-level care in the same practice where you already know the team
• Faster access — no multi-month hospital wait lists
• Coordinated care — Dr. Ingram works directly alongside our oral surgeons, sharing cases, coordinating treatment plans, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks
• One-stop care for complex patients — if you need both oral medicine management and oral surgery, both happen under one roof
• A practice that speaks your doctor's language — Dr. Ingram coordinates directly with your oncologist, rheumatologist, cardiologist, or other specialists

Approximately 28% of Americans will develop at least one oral mucosal lesion in their lifetime. As our population ages and more patients live with complex medical conditions, the need for oral medicine expertise has never been greater — and access has never mattered more.

A Trusted Partner for Your Most Complex Cases

We welcome referrals from:

• General dentists and dental specialists — for patients with complex mucosal conditions, chronic oral pain, or conditions outside your scope
• Physicians and medical specialists — particularly oncologists, rheumatologists, dermatologists, and internists whose patients have oral manifestations of systemic disease or require pre-treatment dental clearance
• ENT / otolaryngologists — for head and neck conditions with oral components

What you can refer for:

• Unexplained oral lesions or ulcers
• Suspected autoimmune oral conditions (lichen planus, pemphigoid, pemphigus, Sjögren's)
• Oral pain syndromes (burning mouth, TMD, trigeminal neuralgia, atypical odontalgia)
• Oral cancer screening and biopsy
• Dry mouth management

We'll send a consultation report directly to your office after each visit.

Make a Referral

Submit our online referral form, or contact the office nearest your patient:

• North Hills — 3809 Computer Dr, Ste 101, Raleigh, NC 27609 · (919) 298-2820
• North Raleigh — 8301 Bandford Way, Ste 121, Raleigh, NC 27615 · (919) 876-4746
• Clayton — 220 Springbrook Ave, Ste 110, Clayton, NC 27520 · (919) 585-7646