Welcome to OCF! Im sorry you have some things going on and have a need for our group. We will help you with info and support. Hopefully what you have going on is nothing serious and can be easily taken care of.

First I'll start out with one of our most frequently used sayings... If you have a sore, spot, lump, etc in your mouth that does not resolve itself within 2-3 weeks then you need to get it checked by a professional. By professional I mean an ENT (the type that specializes in treating oral cancer, not the type that mainly puts tube in young childrens ears) or other qualified medical professional such as an oral surgeon. Just be cautious as surgeons cut and will usually recommend removing something. This may not be necessary in your case. When its removed, it can never be put back to its original state.

Unfortunately, you are NOT too young to have oral cancer. Ive seen quite a few patients who were under 25 come thru here with oral cancer. Age is NOT the best way to determine if a person has cancer or not. The old way of thinking was people over 50 that are heavy smokers and/or drinkers that were diagnosed with oral cancer but that has changed significantly in the last 15/20 years. Especially when talking about HPV (human papilloma virus) which is usually the cause of cancers in the tonsil or base of tongue oral cancers. The HPV+ patients are generally younger, active and seemingly healthy looking patients. If you have not yet gotten the guardisil series of shots to protect you from getting the cancer causing strains of HPV then please seriously consider it. Im sorry I veered off topic with the HPV but it is very important to protect yourself against not just oral cancer caused by HPV but several others as well. Ask your family doc.

Most adults will have lumps/bumps etc in their mouth from time to time. If they have been there longer than 2-3 weeks then you need to get a thorough oral cancer screening. Im sorry but I do not know how your medical system works in your country. Here in the US, the oral cancer screening is done by dental hygienist more often than by the regular dentist. Also unfortunately many dentists focus on the teeth and ignore the gums and spots, inflammation, etc. I do not have a medical background but to me it sounds like you might have a couple things going on, not necessarily cancer but only a biopsy can determine that. Hopefully you can find an ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients (not that I think what you have is cancer) to give you a thorough exam and if necessary a biopsy. An experienced ENT who treats oral cancer patients should be the most experienced in seeing different mouth sores and have a pretty good idea if something in your mouth is serious or not. A biopsy is necessary to know exactly what you have going on.

One thing that caught my eye was you stated you had poor dental hygiene. Please take the time to turn this around right away and pay closer attention to your dental care. If you are using a strong mouthwash that has alcohol in it, stop using it right away and get something without alcohol. If you use tobacco in any form, even the e-cigs please quit asap!!! By eliminating all irritants and brushing/flossing 2 or 3 times a day you will give your mouth the best chance to heal on its own. Your swelling could be from any number of things including a virus or flu you could have picked up.

Try avoiding stress as well as stress can wreck havoc on your body and mind too. I know its not easy when you are concerned you may have cancer. Just remember as of right now you have NOT been diagnosed with cancer or anything else. Try not to borrow trouble by worrying and getting ahead of yourself. Stress and worrying only make everything more difficult so do yourself a big favor... take a deep breath and relax. Waiting is the worst!!! Its likely going to be a few more weeks until you know for certain what you have going on in your mouth. Take it day by day and do everything you can to take extra good care of your mouth.

Hopefully what you have going on is nothing serious. Best wishes!!!