Expired iPhone Warranty, but a possible manufacturer defect, what should I do?

My iPhone's warranty expired a couple of months back, and last night I noticed a speck of dust inside the camera, yes on top of the sensor. I am an avid photographer and my phone is what I use 70% of the time for photography (when I don't have my camera with me). Any tips on what I should do? Maybe go to Apple and claim it as a manufacturer defect (since the phone is meant to be dust and waterproof)? I really don't want to open the phone up to clean it because the seals will weaken and there might be more dust entering into it in the future. Any advice?