35 year old male. I've used smokeless tobacco for almost 20 years. Sometime last year I began entertaining the idea of quitting, but did not until seven days ago. I never thought I would allow this to continue for so long, but alas here I am. Unfortunately, willpower wasn't my only reason for stopping. I have discovered that my gums are very fragile (especially where the tobacco would sit), and what could be described as a small sore at the junction of the tooth and gum (gingiva?) has been slow to heal over the last week. I have started brushing my teeth with my finger, and it appears to be healing, albeit slowly. Adjacent to this, on the inside of my cheek, there are white areas which I assume to be leukoplakia. From what I've read these are precancerous lesions which have a propensity to develop to cancer in 1-20% of people, so the majority are benign. My plan is to give myself 2-4 weeks to see what changes occur, and then make a decision as to whether to schedule an appointment. Though in all likelihood I will probably make an appointment regardless.


I know its a long shot, but my reason for joining this forum is to hear from others who have dealt with leukoplakia in the setting of smokeless tobacco, either personally or as a healthcare provider. I know most are smokers, but maybe there's someone out there.

At any rate I'm done with tobacco, and I'm a little embarrassed it had to come to this in order for me to quit.