Get on the "Early Detection" bandwagon, everybody!!! (and, of course, the stop-using-tobacco-in-all-its-forms bandwagon too.)

My case is very similar to yours, Kate. My lesion was on my gums, on the maxilla (the upper jawbone.) It was overlooked by my dentist for almost a year. He dismissed it as just a bit of periodontal irritation at the first examination. He did not have me come back to be sure that it had gotten better. 8 months later, when I returned for another routine exam (had some surgery of my own which delayed it a bit) he noted it again, and this time he cauterized it!!!!! and he did not biopsy it or have me come back to be sure that it improved. Two months later, when I looked for myself, it had spread from the outside of my gums to the inside, and onto my palate. Can you believe that EVEN THEN he did not recognize it, nor did he suspect cancer, nor did he biopsy it. He cauterized it and scraped it again, gave me one antibiotic pill, and sent me away. He simply was NOT prepared to recognize oral cancer when it was staring him in the face. When I returned the next day, he did not even look, but sent me to the periodontist, saying that it must be a periodontal problem. That dentist knew immediately that it was cancer and sent me to the oral surg. for a biopsy.

Choose your dentist wisely! And always insist on a return visit for any lesion, to be sure that it does indeed improve within two weeks. And then insist on a biopsy, at least a brush biopsy.

I, too, smoked in college...37 years ago!...but my surgeon felt that it was the cause of my getting OC. I don't really agree, but I don't have any other risk factors, exc. for a tendency to get aphthous ulcers from the least injury to my gums. Perhaps those repeated injuries were the cause....or combined with the smoking.....Nobody knows.

What everybody knows, however, is that the use of tobacco is NOT good for you in any way, and the sooner you quit, the less likely you will be to have serious problems from it.

Please stop. You don't want this disease!!