Hi, I'm new to the board. It's really great that this is around to help people.

Ok, I am very worried here. I am 20 years old and had dipped for 2-3 years on and off after highschool. I recently quit when i found a small lump about the size of a pea on my lower inside gum just about where the gums reach the floor of the mouth. The lump is not visible but can be detected through touch. It is hard but moveable in all directions as if it is attached to the gum elastically. There is no serious pain, only a feeling of slight irritation. I am very worried. I know no one here could possibly make a diagnosis but does this sound like a mouth cancer to you? And what are the chances it is malignant vs something benign?

Dear Chuck,
You are going to get lots of replies here, I just happened to be the first! It isn't cancer until it is diagnosed as cancer. So your first step is to make an appointment with your doctor or an oral surgeon and have him/her look at it. In the meantime, worrying isn't helping anything so try to DO something about it by making the appt. OK?
God bless
Judy

Hi Chuck,

Judy is absolutely correct. You should get that checked. To help you with the worry, there are lots of things it could be, many are not serious. At your age cancer is less likely. The tricky thing is it is difficult to tell without expert help. Get that appointment and then don't worry.

Good you quit the chew!

yes im making the appointment, im just so worried and constantly going through my head over what it could possibly be. I mean ive had one dental surgery, my wisdom teeth. I have excellent oral hygiene, i've never even had a cavity in my life, and gotten nothing but compliments from my dentist, then this hits me. I'm just scared and wondering what it could be besides cancer. I mean what else forms lumps in your mouth? What else could it possibly be at 20 years old?

Hi Chuck,

It ain't cancer till they do a biospy and say it's cancer. At your age it is highly unlikely.
Please refrain from any form of tobocco use. You have your whole life ahead of you tobocco free!!!!
Not many of us could have said that at age 20.
Get it checked out and let us know. We love to hear good news. Dan

I really appreciate your responses, and i greatly respect the fantastic courage all of you have had in battling this terrible disease. I promise to say a prayer for God to watch over all of you as I'm sure he is, and ask kindly for you to do the same for me. Thank you for your time. I'll be sure to check in when i finally get the results of my checkup. Until then any resource or response is greatly appreciated. This is a difficult matter for me to deal with at such a young age but i am doing my best even though i, for the first time in my life, am truly frightened. Best wishes

chuck

Sorry Chuck - but how can you "dip" and still have "excellent oral hygiene"? Aren't the two diametrically opposed?

I guess it could be said that tobacco doesn't cause tooth decay but that's about it.

Denial is not a river in Eygyt.

Stop using tobacco products - heed the wakeup call or you will be joining our little club.

A lump with no pain is definitely something to be concerned about. You didn't say who you were making an appointment with but, if it were me, I would make it with an ENT or head & neck surgeon. You don't even want to fool around with a misdiagnosis. Like others have said - it's probably not a big deal but if it is, time is of the essence.

We all understand your fear -we have walked in this path before you. I passed out when I got my Dx. You can always ask for anti-anxiety meds to get you through.

OK, I made my appointment with my dentist, my Aunt. She immedediately took and xray and diagnosed me with a blocked salivary gland. She wrote a prescription for an antiboitic and told me that it should recede by the time the antibiotic is finished, and if not she will refer me to an oral surgeon. I asked her specifically if it looked like a tumor and she said no. This makes me feel a bit better but i'm still worried. Does this sound right to you guys? What should I do next?

hey chuck,

not to sound like a smart ass, but i say take the meds.

i recently had a blocked saliva duct and it took the full 10 days of meds to relieve the pain and swelling. initially i saw a regular MD, afterwards i was able to see a doc who specializes in this stuff and he was glad to see the effects of the medication... he also said he was 99.9% sure that the problem was a blocked duct.

however since i did have oral cancer and completed treatment 2 yrs ago, he also confirmed that i am scheduled to have a head and neck MRI in the very near future... just to be sure.

so i recommend doing the meds, then see a doc again to see if any follow up proceedures are recommended... note that your history is much different than mine, so your doc might not recommend any further medical services.

you might consider taking Acidophilus tables to help your digestion while on antibotics....

good luck,
larryb

My dentist, who has many years experience and has his hygenist always check for cancer missed Dx'ing a huge, highly visible tumor 6cm x 3 cm growing off of my right tonsil. If this thing is truly pain free I would be concerned. If you have an infection, it will be painful. I had a dentist tell me that it's the lack of pain to be concerned with. Two weeks won't make much difference - take the antibiotics and see if you have a response. If you do - fantastic if not - see an ENT. I went through 2 rounds of antibiotics myself to no avail.