I guess it is new to me-- I never noticed it before, but honestly I can't say if it was there or not because before I went to the dentist and had those three fillings done I had not been to the dentist in awhile (nor did I ever have the occassion to really look at my gums). The spot is NOT noticeable if I smile I have to pull the lip somewhat down to see it, but it is pretty easy to see if I do that. I would say it is just a little bit bigger than how a period shows up on this screen.

The spot is definitely not dark. It is about the same color as how a vein shows up on the underside of my wrist (blue/grayish).

Because I was nervous, I did try to call around and see if there were any oral surgeons in the area who could take a walk-in. I got in contact with a really nice office but the receptionist said that any other day in the week she could have taken me in, but Fridays is their surgery day so it is only surgeries back to back.

I guess I would not be overly surprised if it was a broken blood vessel (can they last for a long time?). When I got so much work done on my upper teeth they used some kind of dental shield/dam thing so the drill would not hit the side of my mouth (I am guessing that is what it was for). That small piece of cardboard had my gums and cheek sore for at least a week after the procedure.