mouth cancer

[ace10]

Hi all,

I've not been on here for a while as I have been coping really well lately. Anyway, I have had this ongoing fear of having mouth cancer for quite some time now as I have a large swelling at the root of my back molar. I finally got the courage to go to the dentist this morning for a check up. He did four xrays of my upper and lower molars after prodding around for ten minutes. Not once did he say anything about the swelling though. Could he have missed it? Would it not show up on the xrays?

[ace10]

Please help, really worried now.

[ace10]

can anyone give me some advice please?

[Ambers]

Did you not ask the dentist to check that area? I would suggest that if anything were amiss he/she would have picked up on it - they are trained to see signs of disease in the mouth and the fact that they didn't mention it suggests that you have nothing to worry about.

[flamarella]

no it is not mouth cancer relax. you prob have gingivitis, i get the same thing sometimes i brushmy teeth and it hurts a lot in the area thats swollen. buy Listerine and get warm water with salt and gargle and spit it out like 4 times a day :)

[ace10]

hi, thank you for your replies. No, Ambers I didn't ask him to check out this area. it was scary enough going to see him in the first place, and thought that maybe he would see it anyway or it would show up on xrays. i dont think its gingivitis flamarella as it feels like it is right at the root of my tooth pretty much where the gum joins the cheek.

Any other ideas as to what it could be?

[ace10]

Thanks for you reply poom. is there any way the dentist could have missed this at the check up and following the x-rays?

[BettyIW]

I had a friend whose Father had mouth cancer. The dentist told him that he had found something unusual and would have to send a sample away for tests. If he had found anything you would have been told. XXXXX

[ace10]

thank you Betty. So you dont think there is anyway he could have missed it then?

[BettyIW]

No. They are trained to look for mouth cancer just as an optician is trained to look for tumours etc, they do it everyday, over and over again. If he'd had concerns he would have had to inform you and involved you in the process. No different to a Dr. Please do not worry. My friends father was involved all the way through. They did find something with him, they removed it and he is fine.

They would tell you. Please do not worry X