I think i posted this in the wrong place. On aug 9, my mouth swelled. Right side along upper teeth. Big bump about the size of my thumb showed up on roof of mouth. Swelling and sores healed after i quit chewing. Bump is hard and still there. Va said i had bacterial infection. Antibiotis have done nothing. Headaches bad. Gained about five pounds. Hurts to eat certain foods. Noticed new sores on the lump this morning. Scared. Made appt w oral surgeon but no insurance and not sure how i can get through if its cancer.

It is best to wait on the results with oral surgeon. Not knowing is rough but patience is key. If you see oral surgeon and are not at peace with his diagnosis then look for another source. Are you a veteran? Others will advise from this group but key is to know what you are dealing with. Then the advice will flow. Take some deep breaths until you know for sure.

Thanks. Yes i am a vet, but va dentist won see me. Said I don''t qualify.

Ripley, this would be considered medical not dental. A biopsy is a medical procedure. I suggest seeking out an ENT to get checked out. Hopefully one who specializes in oral cancer. Im sorry but I dont have info about what VA would offer you. Maybe try calling the phoen number on the back of your medical card.

There are all kinds of things that could be going wrong in your mouth. If you smoke, chew tobacco or drink alcohol, stop doing those things immediately. They would all irritate your mouth and can cause a sore not to heal.

Oral cancer does not always hurt. I had no pain at all, while others have had alot of pain. It does not usually show up as a large sore out of the blue. Im not a doctor or medical professional but to me it sounds like something irritated your mouth. Its best to get checked out so you know what is going on for sure.

Best wishes!

I quit chewing two weeks ago. The right side of my upper has healed. there are no red spots, no swelling along the right side. The major lump has not gone away in a month, and two red spots have shown up. I stopped in to see a dentist this evening, and he said he thought it was cancer. Part of the lump moves, is soft, the other part is hard, unmoveable. Its odd. No sore throat. no blood. Gaining weight, not losing weight. Some headaches, off and on. every now and again, it feels like needles in the roof of my mouth. I don't know what to think

Good to know about the biopsy medical procedure thing. I will have medical insurance next month (switched jobs).

You might want to seek out an ear nose and throat doctor or Ottolyarangologist. That is a different type of doctor than an oral surgeon. If the oral surgeon is not comfortable with your case or you are not comfortable with him you might want to ask him for a referal to an ENT in your area. Also, if there is a VA hospital in your area you might go there to see if they have an ENT who might be able to look at you. Your headaches could be caused by loss of the nicotine from stopping the chew and my tumor was not loose like you described but was hard and very much attached. The ultimate answer is for one of those doctors to take a biopsey of it and find out once and for all what it is.

If the dentist said he thought it was cancer, you should follow-up ASAP with an ENT who deals with cancer, however you can do it, so they can biopsy, maybe do other tests. Waiting a month is too long. Good luck.

I agree with Paul, a month is too long. Good luck and let us know what happens!

I triple the motion... do not wait a month...

Saw the oral surgeon. He looked at it. X rays. The headaches are from withdrawl. I have an ulcer that is healing well on its own. The lump is a tori bone. My old x rays and new x rays confirmed. I didnt notice it before. that is the status.