I have had a bump on my inner cheek for about two mounths. I am an ex-dipper, so I am a little worried about it. There is no discolorarion and it cannot be seen. You can not feel it when rubbing it with your fingers, but when I it with my tounge it feels pretty large~1cm diameter. I went to the medical clinic last week; I saw a nurse practitioner and she could not see or feel anything. She said whatever it is, it is not cancer. The area is sore. Do any of you all think I should go see a dentist about it? It seems to be growing, but that could just be my imagination. I know I am probably being paranoid. Just looking for some input.

Thanks, Ben

Ben, if you have a regular dentist, go seehim. If not,ask around about who is really good- for your own peace of mind. Amy

Hi Ben,

I like to err on the side of caution. I would make an appointment to see a knowldegable dentist for a full oral cavity examination. If you are not comfortable with your current dentist's abilities, I would ask for a referral.

Dave

Ben,
I am am not sure that I agree with either of the previous posts. Diseases of the head and neck, which is an extreamely complex area, require the diagnosis of a specialist, either an ENT or a head & neck surgeon. My dentist has only seen 3 cancers in a patient in over 35 years of practice. (I was one of the three and he didn't know what it was even though the tumor was larger than a golf ball).

It sounds like an infection but with your previous history of dipping tobacco I wouldn't risk a mis-diagnosis. Early detection is key.

Appreciate the responses. I called to make a dentist appointment this morning. I would prefer to go to an ENT, but all I have is university insurance and for the insurance to pay the clinic I first attended would have to recomend it, which they did not.
Thanks, Ben

I should have known better based on my mom's experience with a dentist. Gary is so right, an ENT is the way to go. I apologize. I was pissed off at myself after giving my original response some more thought. Sorry again.

Gary, judging from your information, you had an 18 cm^2 tumor that your dentist did not diagnose. All dentist cannot be judged on this one case, but it does make me want to go to an ENT. I have a dentist apointment next week; I am going to wait and see what she has to say. Ben

An ENT visit is about 70-80 bucks out of pocket. Your life is well worth the investment.
I am not judging my dentist - it's just not their field of expertise. It's like bringing my BMW to a Subaru dealer for repairs.

Point well taken. I'll give the ENT a shout tommorow. Ben

Well, I tried to get an appointment with an ENT but they were booked up for a couple of mounths, so I went to the dentist today. She was able to locate the lump; she said it was probably nothing, but I did need to have it seen about.

I went back to the school clinic and obtained a reference for an oral surgeon, but there is still one problem; I could not get an appointment untill the end of September.

I would really prefer to get this whole situation ironed out, but I have no Idea how to go about it. I made the apointment, but a month and a half is a little longer than I want to wait. Any ideas???

Thanks, Ben