I suppose first I should tell a little about myself. I am a 35 year old married male. I have been married for a little over two years. My wife and I recently move to the state of Washington so I could go to school after tearing up both of my shoulders. I was a smokeless tobacco user in my youth. I have a hard time anymore remembering the time frame that I used it in, but I would have to say that I only used it on and off from age 8 until maybe 12 or 13. From 13 to 17 I used it most every day until I quit when I was 17. I have never used it since. I average an alcholic drink once every one to two years or more.

Last week, I went to the dentist thinking that a tooth I had a crown put on needed a root canal. The pain intensified unbearably overnight. When I was in the office, they of course took x-rays and checked it over. Then he pointed to a part on the x-ray and said that he wasn't sure if that was a pathology issue or not (indicating a spot under my tooth). He decided to put me on a corticosteroid to see if the tooth would calm down or not (you couldn't even push on the tooth). It has settled down almost completely, but now my mind can't stop wondering over a few other symptoms that I have that I could have explained from other causes.

First, I have what I can only describe a catch in my throat when I swallow (and that it may feel like something is caught). It doesn't hapeen all the time, just occasionally. Up until last Tuesday, I would have thought that it was what an Orthopedic surgeon told me could be caused by a problem I have in my neck with a couple of vertabrae. The discs have caused the ulner and brachial nerves to "stretch" as he put it, and said that I may have other symptoms that can come and go from time to time. The swallowing was one of them.

The next symptom is that I have a sore throat. I actually didn't get the sore throat until Wednesday, but it so far is not going away. I normally would have thought that it was because it has been hot here and my wife and I have been sleeping with the fan on at night (which I have gotten colds and sore throats from in the past). When you combine everything, it's scarey.

My wife and I are also expecting our first child. What a slap in the face it was hear the dentist say what he said on Tuesday and see my baby in its first ultrasound on Wednesday. So I'm left now to ponder until Tuesday again, when I go back for him to take some more x-rays, will I live long enough to see my baby be born or take its first step? I have to say that I have never been more scared in my life. I can't think of anything else. I just look around at statistics and stories and wonder. Has anyone else had (or known someone who has) similar symptoms and it turn out to be simply coincidence?

Tom calm down...

Assuming the worst, it sounds like it may be at a very early stage, which makes it very likely for a positive outcome.

I'm not a Dr, but I can tell you I have been there myself.

I'm not sure why you are having another Xray? Is it to help diagnose the spot?

I think a visit to an ENT to explore all your symptoms would be most pruduent.

You have a lot going on in your life right now, and the changes, stress and worry could all be materializing in these symptoms.

Get it checked out, and then you can celebrate when it's nothing serious!

Don't jump the gun and fear the worst. From what you describe it could be many things besides oral cancer.
We have a saying on this website for newcomers:
"It ain't cancer til the pathlogy report says it is"
Hope to hear from you soon with good news!!!

Danny Boy

Hi,

I am a dentist and would like to address the issue of the sore tooth. It would appear that from what you have described, the tooth is abscessed and needs a root canal. Not seeing you in person or seeing your x-ray, I can make assumptions, but of course I don't know any of this for sure. The reason you have pain when a tooth needs root canal, is because there is infection in the bone around the root. The infection will show up on an x-ray as a dark area and the reason that it hurts so much is that any pressure on the tooth, will put pressure on the infection, causing pain in the bone and the ligaments surrounding the tooth. Corticosteroids or antibiotics will only make the tooth better for a short period of time and then the pain will come back.

Be assured that parking chewing tobacco will not cause a tooth to abscess. What you appear to be doing at this point is combining symptoms that you are having, together, and conjuring up in your mind that these are all related to your past history of using smokeless tobacco. Certainly, your first step is confirm that what I'm suggesting to you, is that in fact, you do have a tooth that needs root canl treatment. Next, you should see an ENT doc and get your throat checked out.

It's great that you stopped using tobacco such a long time ago. I hope that you find that your throat is OK and that the stress you are putting yourself through will be over shortly.

Please keep us informed as to what results you get.

Jerry

Take a deep breath and calm down. You said that your tooth was getting better with the corticosteroid, you already knew that you had a problem with your vertabrae, and to be honest, I also get sore throats if I sleep with a fan.
It is easy to let your mind wonder and analyze every symptom you have, but it will only drive you crazy.
Go see an ENT and get everything checked out. It is the only way you will feel better.

Hi,
Please reread Jerry's post, he is a dentist. And get this checked out. An untreated abcessed tooth can go to the heart and can be fatal. My husband went througth this a couple of years ago and landed in the hospital in IV antibiotics for days because someone misdiagnosed the problem. Then the hospital released him with the still infected tooth. Had I not has a prosthodontist that would take him on a moments notice, he might not have lived. Jerry can probably give you more info on how serious this can be, but I know in my husband's case, we could have lost him without immediate treatment.

Take care,
Eileen