dental worries

[unsure_about_this]

I am due to go to the dentist for my reguarly appointments later this month.

I have cold and got a small white spot/lump on my gum sio worry whether it is cancer or I got an abscess forming, had one last year and was in pain before making an emergecy appointment.
or just plaque.

I am not in my pain so wondering whether this is abscess I am scared if I see anything different. I dont smoke or drink booze.

Whilst on the subject of teeth I am embarrassed how my teeth look, has the dentist see worst than me. I get scared seeing the dentist

[MyNameIsTerry]

If it's an abscess, you will find out pretty quickly from the pain you get with them.

If you have a cold, it could be related. It may be a basic infection or perhaps thrush or just some plaque? I wouldn't worry about cancer, oral cancers are rare. Keeping good oral hygiene will reduce any risk to oral cancer anyway according to the NHS so that's something we can & should all be doing and for a variety of reasons.

I'm sure dentists have seen some pretty nasty nashers through their training & practice. It's like worrying a proctologist would have a problem seeing some roids. It's just part of the job to them all, they probably see much the same every day so are desensitised to it all.

So, unless your dentist says doesn't say something along the lines of 'oh, er, do you mind if I take a photo of this for the Royal Society monthly magazine', you will be fine! :winks:

[unsure_about_this]

Thank you for your reply.

I am not in any pain, I think by now I would know like within hours. My face not swollen, gums normal for me.

the last time I had an abscess was in 2015 and was up and down all night like a yo-yo and was struggled to eat. It started a few days after I went to the dentist for a normal checkup.

I was given antibiotics in 2015, but have been told I may lose this tooth since I had a root canal done in 2006 and I think this was where the abscess was in 2015. At first the dentist I thought that a filling had not been done.

Its like a white spot/mark on my gum line. I am slowly getting over my cold, usually I can white ulcars on my mouth. like skin.

I dont want to lose my teeth I had one took out when I was in 2006 had a few fillings during my life :( difficult mouth to keep clean.

Trying not to Google.
I go to the dentist every three months

---------- Post added at 13:22 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

Could it be a cyst, jaw?
I am scared it is an infection where I need some treatment doing to my mouth/teeth. I can open my mouth okay

[unsure_about_this]

Still a bit worry that it could be cancer. i am in my early 30s.

[unsure_about_this]

I am trying not to touch it as that will make it worst.

I am still scared this is a cancer and I am dying. It is not bleeding. I know the forum is a great help to calm people nerves.

I dont think it has changed shape in the last day, think it going a bit smaller.

I could have bitten on something which caused the white mark.

I always think anything which looks odd is cancer

[ServerError]

Oral cancer is almost unheard of in people in their 30s. But the mouth is a sensitive area that doesn't need much to flare up in some way.

[Elen]

If it is getting smaller then that is good news hun

I am guessing that it could be an ulcer due to you being a bit run down with the cold.

Maybe try using some mouthwash or salt water to clean your mouth up.

[unsure_about_this]

Thanks for your help

I dont have any other symptoms just this white thingy on my gum, just getting over my cold.

Been using mouthwash of course non alcohol,

Why do I worry about seeing something and jump the worst thing.

[unsure_about_this]

It has not grown any more, about the same size and shape now, it will take time to go.

It is just making me worried that is cancer even though I been told on the chatroom try mouthwash and salt water, could have bunt myself. I am just cannot think staight that everything unsually is cancer

---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 ----------

Also now worried looks about red in an area so I think this is oral cancer even more now

---------- Post added at 12:22 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------

I am very scared about the white thing in my mouth, and the red thing not near it like a border but scared it a cancer

---------- Post added at 12:23 ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 ----------

It does not help me touching it but I am worried it is an oral cancer or secondary cancer

[MyNameIsTerry]

Remember that redness can mean swelling. It's perfectly normal to get redness around irritated areas anywhere on the body including in the mouth.

So, it's perfectly possible that this is an infection that has what doctors sometimes term "angry" swelling or "heat". In fact, I remember asking my GP about a possible infection on my foot years ago as I injured my big toe due to hard walking and he even mentioned it looked fine and there was no infection, no "heat", etc.

The answer here is to ask your dentist to take a look. Until then, you are making yourself more anxious over something that may be a minor issue.

I would doubt a secondary cancer. You would need a primary that had metastasise from another site. That primary cancer would very likely be making you very ill.

I'm not sure but I have a feeling pain isn't the case in a lot of cancers but we have much better informed people on here who can answer that one. One in particular springs to mind who understand h&n cancers extremely well so hopefully he may spot your post if he has time.

[unsure_about_this]

trying bonjela to see whether that shifts it, on the white spot. mark, ulcer, (cannot move the mark etc)

[ServerError]

By all means, try Bonjela. But sooner or later, you're going to need to leave this thing alone. You'll only irritate it by messing about with it all the time.

Our mouths are perfect breeding grounds for infection. They abound with sensitive soft tissue. Stuff happens. But oral cancer is rare, especially in the young and those with good oral hygiene, non-smokers and those who don't drink to excess.

You're making myself miserable.

[unsure_about_this]

Could it be normal for me, not serious. I noticed these things more, I got pretty good oral hygiene and see the dentist every three months which is good

[kellie39]

I know how you feel, i have a huge fear of the dentist and havent been for too many years and about a week ago i decided it was time to tackle this and go but wuth my health anxiety it has made me start worrying and i did the worst thing and googled and then went and shined a light in my mouth and what do i find .. a white patch omg im in such a state now and my mind is in overdrive.
I know i need to go to the dentist and get it checked and i will but the fear is uncontrollable, im not sleeping, not eating properly and cant stop thinking the worst.
You have been good with going to the dentist so im sure yours is nothing to worry about at all, i know its easy to say but try to relax and it will probably settle
Xx

[unsure_about_this]

Thanks for trying to calm me down, it does not hurt, my throat also feels funny like tight, so worried about it more now.

It is not bleeding, I am sure I got the same on the bottom in between my gums for years and the dentist have not mention any worrying. It just the one of the top gums and seems a little bit bigger. I am trying to think sense, but frighten it could be a oral, jaw, mouth cancer growing

[unsure_about_this]

Still there nearly after a week, get scared I dont know whether it a lump, ulcer. I keep thinking it a cancer.

[kellie39]

Thanks for trying to calm me down, it does not hurt, my throat also feels funny like tight, so worried about it more now.

It is not bleeding, I am sure I got the same on the bottom in between my gums for years and the dentist have not mention any worrying. It just the one of the top gums and seems a little bit bigger. I am trying to think sense, but frighten it could be a oral, jaw, mouth cancer growing

i know its hard but try to take comfort from the fact that you have been seeing a dentist and if anything was wrong they would have seen it, i know its hard and our brains cant see sense all the time.

[hanshan]

Then check with your doctor/dentist.

I know that people are unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and the like every day, but I can't recall anyone posting here with health anxiety saying the doctor confirmed their worst fears.

[unsure_about_this]

Both my parents know my concerns about my health (causing friction in the house once again) I know my parents are trying to calm me down, have seen my sheet I been told to think more postive instead of the wost all the time (I worry about my health) I am frighten that things may have been miss in the past.


I have told my parents about my concerns, my Dad thinks I should wait to my appointment next week and stop going on about it since I only had it a week since I had it. I am trying but complaining how many times I went to the bathroom last night and spending a lot of time during the day (looking at the white thing in my mouth, because i think it is cancer, even though i am not an expert
Both my parents are angry at me because I worry so much because I keep saying I am dying because I really think I got some type of cancer, even though it unlikely.

my mum is annoyed with me that I worry too much and if I make too many appointments I could get struck off. I know I been for a number of emergcies appointments over the years and could have gone down this week to look out just to ressurance me that it is okay but have my appointment next week.

I been struggled/frighten (not eating properly) to eat because I am so scared that I could have an oral cancer with the white thing on my gum (keep thinking it is cancer and nothing else) (but ate better today) even though it seems a bit smaller today, it is not painful, I am still suffering from a cold. I been also having sore throat and struggling to swallow at times today (so thanks to google and NHS and other health websites I think this is oral cancer even more now) and my back of my mouth been hurting earlier today but both have gone the pains. Why do I keep thinking the worst it making me feel low, miserable and very scared that I have got something serious wrong with me, even though I have not been for an appointment yet. I have had health scares before like bowel cancer, testicle cancer and all the scans and tests have come back fine, just a few cysts relating to the epdidymis (sp)

I have been naughty and been on nhs website and various other websites saying it is three weeks or more see your GP or dentist. I know dentist screen you for cancer every time you go for an appointment. I have also checked about self exam yourself for oral cancer on websites and say you should do it once a month.

I am getting help with my anxiety but I keep thinking every lump, mark, bump is cancer and any symptom is a cancer

---------- Post added at 20:19 ---------- Previous post was at 20:09 ----------

I forgot to post if I have not done already that i have a root canal done in 2006 in this area (but scared it could be a cancer)

and had an abcess in this region in 2015,

I know Google is a no no because it will always come back with cancer, I been naughty with looking at the stats for my age range which worries me on cancer research age 32, even though these stats are probably out of date and how accurate are there.

The waiting to see the dentist for a checkup even though I go every three months is killing me because I am so scared and I dont feel like doing much. everytime I get an ulcer and it cleared I mention it to my dentist at my next checkup.

As for my self help think I also worried that every symptoms/sign is also deadly where the symptoms is something every simple which can be treatable and not serious like the big c.

I dont think it grown any more, it does not feel hard or pebble, and cannot feel any lumps which should not be there in my neck and jaw area. It just taking a while to heal which worries me, with the NHS and other websites telling me not to wait. I dont seem to see the other possibles of less serious things, just the big c I keep jumping to.

13 October 2016 Parents are getting really fed up with me complaining now :( all the time. and told me basically shut up and stop going going on about it. I wont drop dead until my appointment, if was a couple of months to my appointments my parents would have booked me in. If I go down before my appointment than I might not even seen my dentist, we all suffering with cold still