Oral Medicine and Oral Diseases
The American Academy of Oral Medicine defines oral medicine as the discipline of dentistry concerned with the oral health care of medically complex patients, including the diagnosis and management of medical conditions that affect the oral and maxillofacial region.
Oral Medicine is primarily a non-surgical specialty with procedures limited to diagnostic biopsies, small excisions, therapeutic injections, and minor surgical interventions. In many cases, conditions are managed medically using topical and systemic medications.
Dr. Ray is an expert in the diagnosis and management of patients with:
- Oral mucosal and salivary gland diseases
- Oral complications resulting from systemic disease
- Oral complications from cancer treatment
- Chemosensory and neurologic impairment of the oral and maxillofacial complex
- Orofacial pain, including temporomandibular disorders
Multidisciplinary Care
Dr. Ray has direct access to various laboratory and diagnostic facilities, including intraoral and panoramic digital radiography, CT, other advanced imaging modalities, microbiological testing, and clinical and surgical pathology services. He also actively collaborates with medical specialists in other disciplines, including oncology, hematology, cardiology, immunology, dermatology, rheumatology, and endocrinology, in the Eastside and Seattle network.
