Mouth Cancer concerns

[SallyHart]

Hi Everyone,

I am so worried and stressed. I noticed a little red mark on the roof of my mouth last week. I know that dentists are the best for mouth issued like this so as I had a check up this week I mentioned this. The dentist took a look and said it looks like a burn have you burnt it. I don't remember doing this so I told her as such. She then put a blue light machine in my mouth called a velscope which apparently changes colour or something if the tissue is damaged. It is what they screen for oral cancer. She said that nothing lit up and she wasn't concerned but she will take another look in a couple of weeks for me. Why? If she thought it was okay and it didn't change colour? I am so worried that she maybe thinks it might be? and that's why she wants to take another look. I am wondering if this light thing isn't accurate and she is unsure herself but she did say she wasn't concerned......would she leave me another 2 weeks if it was bad? probably not but I am thinking she is unsure.....please help

 

[matisworried]

i think it's highly likely she will recheck due to your anxiety, but it's likely just standard procedure.

dentists are the first defense against oral cancer. they know what to look for. the fact you are lucky enough to have their visual exam confirmed with velscope should be incredibly reassuring. no dentists in my area have this that i know of.

 

[SallyHart]

Thank you for replying, makes me feel a bit better. Not familiar with that scope thing and accuracy etc and not googling.

 

[matisworried]

Thank you for replying, makes me feel a bit better. Not familiar with that scope thing and accuracy etc and not googling.

i have had on/off oral cancer fears for over a decade and my understanding is that they are very good at finding cancer. i mean.. the biggest reason they're so effective is because they can find things that aren't even visible to the naked eye. if they can do that, confirming a visible abnormality is/isn't cancer should be no problem.

and good for you for staying away from Google. there is zero reason for you to be concerned.

 

[Bobnnat]

Sally,

I posted about this subject back on the other site may it rest in peace.

Trust me you do not have OC! Cancers on the roof of the mouth (hard palate) are unheard of in the civilized world. Where it does exist are in locations where people practice "reverse smoking" where they place the lit end of the cigarette into their mouth. i know it sounds absurd, but in certain parts of rural Asia it is common.

I have had a bit of a bump on the roof of my mouth for over 10 years so I know. i had the panic. While Googling is typically a no-no, if you look up reverse smoking and hard palate cancers you'll see what i mean. You'll encounter nothing but supportive information.

I have no respect for dentists who, like the one i had and the one you have, do not realize this! While they might encounter a patient who immigrated to North America from those areas, and hence should be questioned about their smoking habits, with someone like you or me, they should know that!!

Ineptitude really pisses me off.

 

[kristinelorraine]

hi bobnnat, i also have a small bump on the roof of my mouth. i just noticed it last month when i got a mouth sore.
i'm not sure how long it's in there. if it hadn't for mouth sore i wouldn't know i have a bump in the roof of my mouth.
do you still have the bump? i have a lot of digestive issues now so this bump is not my major concern as of the moment
but thinking about it now makes me worry a bit.

 

[SallyHart]

Sally,

I posted about this subject back on the other site may it rest in peace.

Trust me you do not have OC! Cancers on the roof of the mouth (hard palate) are unheard of in the civilized world. Where it does exist are in locations where people practice "reverse smoking" where they place the lit end of the cigarette into their mouth. i know it sounds absurd, but in certain parts of rural Asia it is common.

I have had a bit of a bump on the roof of my mouth for over 10 years so I know. i had the panic. While Googling is typically a no-no, if you look up reverse smoking and hard palate cancers you'll see what i mean. You'll encounter nothing but supportive information.

I have no respect for dentists who, like the one i had and the one you have, do not realize this! While they might encounter a patient who immigrated to North America from those areas, and hence should be questioned about their smoking habits, with someone like you or me, they should know that!!

Ineptitude really pisses me off.

Wow I did not hear of such things Bob....thank you for that information. I am tempted to look that up but too scared to in case I find something after digging that might say different if you know what I mean. I am of course now focused and feeling that I am getting more bumps but doing my best to ignore it. She was a good dentist gave me visual then the light thing. Still HA'ers we worry don't we. Thank you again. For all I know I nay have had this a while, I only saw it because I had a canker sore on my cheek and then felt around for others. Said canker sore has now gone and I am left with this...one thing after another....

 

[Bobnnat]

hi bobnnat, i also have a small bump on the roof of my mouth. i just noticed it last month when i got a mouth sore.
i'm not sure how long it's in there. if it hadn't for mouth sore i wouldn't know i have a bump in the roof of my mouth.
do you still have the bump? i have a lot of digestive issues now so this bump is not my major concern as of the moment
but thinking about it now makes me worry a bit.

Yes, it's still there. It seems to get slightly bigger and then smaller at times, but that might be my imagination and is based on my feeling it with my tongue. I had an ENT look at it after that ignorant dentist and he had no concern. 10 years+ and it's there.

Sally, please don't worry. Sadly we worry about things that aren't going to hurt us, yet the stress we put ourselves under regarding that might well affect us.

 

[Bearcat999]

Irritations on the roof of your mouth tend to hang around a bit because you irritate them every time you eat. And you are probably are running your tongue over it a lot, checking on it. But it isnt a spot where you are going to get cancer, as Bobnnat pointed out.

 

[SallyHart]

Thanks everyone....thank goodness for this community if anything else it helps to ease things a little. I can't stop focusing now though....grrr who needs this especially at Christmas time ....

 

[SallyHart]

Just merging this from another thread as I didn't get a reply yet so hope this bumps my thread up to anyone that may want to reply for me.

I posted a thread about mouth cancer earlier in the week and got some great encouragement from people and very grateful for that. Even though it helped me, I am now totally OCD over it. I keep looking at the red mark, which seems to have lightened a bit but still feel the bump underneath the mark, it isn't on the surface of the roof of the mouth it seems more underneath the skin. I am now feeling it and comparing it to the other side constantly with my fingers. This morning I looked and the mark was still there but not as red. I have been feeling it and now it looks redder....I am totally consumed by this. Am questioning the velscope thing that maybe it isn't correct, scared I will get referred to an oral surgeon, scared it is cancer. I can't stop thinking about it...I am on new meds and don't know if these are making me feel worse about things...I don't know what to do with myself anyone's advice appreciated.