Mysterious cheek lump...

[ninnypoo]

Hello!

I had a root canal about 4 weeks ago for a tooth that had broken and gotten infected. I had no idea until I discovered a lump in my cheek (February) which slowly grew until I finally got checked by the dentist in April. He X-rayed and found a big infection down to my jaw bone.

Had a root canal one month ago to fix the infection and he said the lump should clear up by itself. I'm slightly concerned it hasn't. The size tends to fluctuate- some days it feels smaller, others it's definitely noticeable but the texture has changed to feel spongier.

The issue is I'm still registered to a dentist in my home town (2h drive away) and I'm a teacher so couldn't actually make it back for an appointment during their opening hours. I was hoping for some advice- should I be concerned the lump is still there and seemingly not shrinking? Can I leave it till the summer holidays or should I get it checked out again?

Thank you in advance if you've made it this far through this ramble!

It's not sore in itself. I keep getting spots on top of it which are sore, and if I poke it too much the skin becomes a bit sore but the lump doesn't actually hurt.

Might ring the dentist in the morning thanks, typically my dentist has actually left now but hopefully someone will be able to give advice!

Hi! I don’t want to be overly worrying but I do think you should prioritise going back to the dentist - or, if easier, go to a doctor instead, as soon as poss. I wouldn't wait for the holidays. (You can see a GP for problems with your mouth - make sure you stress how long you've had the lump & what treatment you had)

If your tooth was sorted a month ago, you shouldn’t still have a lump in your cheek. It could potentially be coincidence that the 2 issues appeared at roughly the same time.

In 2011, I found a lump on the side of my tongue - sort of like an ulcer. After a few weeks, I went to my GP. Got told it was an infection & given antibiotics. Like you, my lump seemed to respond a bit to treatment, I felt like it fluctuated in size but it never fully went. After several months of trying different antibiotics & being told not to worry (I was young & not a drinker/smoker etc), I was referred to hospital & immediately diagnosed with oral cancer. Thankfully, surgery & radiotherapy were successful – I've been cancer free 5+ yrs now & made a good recovery!

Of course, hopefully, it isn’t anything serious but an unexplained lump like this doesn’t sound like a problem that should be left - even if you're not in any "risk categories". Oral cancer can be aggressive but caught early, is often very treatable. Best to get it ruled out - I really would push to get seen by someone - & preferably referred quickly! Good luck (& apologies for the long reply).

Thank you megp89
Can I ask did your lump hurt? Mine does not and so when I rang the dentist they said leave it for a few more months if I'm not in pain..

It’s a bit hard to say really, sorry! I had quite a lot of infection & inflammation around the tumour, so the whole area was very sore but I'm not sure if the lump itself was particularly painful. When scanned, it was a bit bigger than I’d thought, so thinking about it, perhaps the pain was more from infection than the actual lump.

I wouldn’t think cancer could be ruled out simply because of a lack of pain. Although it’s hopefully nothing serious, if it was me, I def wouldn’t want to wait months to see someone about it – just to be on the safe side. Could you go see a doctor, rather than the dentist? You could even just register as a temporary patient, if your regular GP is at a distance. Couldn’t hurt to get a second opinion!

Hello, I'm just posting on here to say, I'm sorry about your mouth problems and I really think megp89 is right - you need to go to a doctor and get referred to a have it seem by a hospital specialist as soon as you can. I had a referral for a lump on my tongue earlier this year- thankfully it was fine and not cancer, my dr had not been very concerned (in fact he sent me on a normally referral time)- the consultant, though; who was very nice - was concerned about it and biopsied it(my dr had sent me for a straight forward removal). After I had been biopsed and was waiting for the result I did some googling - nhs site etc and was not really happy that my dr sent me on a referral that took a couple of months -he should have sent me on a two week one. As it turned out I was ok- but if it had been cancer, that could have mattered.
I think a non-painful soft tissue lump does need to be seen as potentially a cancer symptom. I know it's scary but you must get this ruled out.I am quite shocked someone at a dentist would say- if a lump in your mouth isn't painful come back in a few months - honestly , a non painful lump , that's been there for a few months is a (potential) cancer symptom. I'm sorry if this is scary and not reassuring- but you must get it seen by a specialist- be pushy! -also check what length referral you're getting sent on-in the uk a cancer symptom is supposed to have you seeing an consultant in 2 weeks or less.
I do hope you are ok. I know it is a scary thing to have to deal with but I know when I went I felt a lot better when I saw them at hospital- because they were nice and I felt like I was in the right place.
I am actually a teacher and I know how pressured you can be to not have time off-but you must. Please go to get referred and get the referral as soon as you can though-even if there's things you 'have' to do- don't wait till the end of term-go as as soon as you can -good luck and I hope it is all ok- but you must get it seen properly.

Thanks both. I have a doctors appointment booked for the 12th July.

I would definitely get it checked out asap, I had one at easter and got admitted to hospital, I ended up needing 2 lots of surgery on easter weekend and spent 5 days I hospital.

Oh good! I am glad- I hope it all goes well and good luck :)

That's great, I really hope the appointment goes well & you get some answers. Good luck with everything!

Hello all!

Just been to the doctors so thought I'd update you.

He said it doesn't feel cancerous and the fact that it hasn't really grown (it's felt slightly smaller this last week) and I'm not a smoker means he's pretty sure it's not cancer- but he doesn't know what it is. So I'm going for a blood test tomorrow and being referred to the hospital to have them look at it.

Thanks for all your support/prods to go to the doctor!

Well done! I'm glad it went ok and you got referred , I hope it all goes ok at the hospital and tomorrow; thanks for letting us know how you got on, and good luck,

Thanks for the update! I'm really pleased the GP visit went well & I hope the blood test was OK. That's great you got a hospital referral too, very good luck with everything :)

Hospital appt booked for 23rd October! They had earlier ones (earliest being beginning of Sept) but I'm starting at a new school in September and wasn't sure how well they'd take me having time off so soon, so went for a half term appointment to be on the safe side (I know they can't stop me having time off but I would be too anxious to ask!)

In the meantime I'm feeling incredibly self conscious and 'down' about looking so lumpy and wonky. It not only sticks out to give me a weird jawline (pic attached in case you're nosey) but has become a lovely purplish undertone so I've had to bring out the extra strength foundation to try and blend it. I'm a bridesmaid in October and I hate that I'm going to look so ridiculous. Keep wanting to cry every time I catch sight of myself in the mirror. Hey ho, shouldn't moan too much or it'll hear me and get even bigger...

hi, ninnypoo -poor you! I can see where you mean, and it must be horrible for you, especially as it's being going on for a while - you must be really fed up with it. If it's any comfort, I think someone who didn't know anything was wrong, might easily not notice it. -so from an appearance point of view, I would try not to worry, - if I had just looked at that photo, not knowing what was wrong, I would just have said -it's a picture of a young person, with a pretty face; so I think people are not so likely to notice, as you might feel.
Having said that- I actually can see what you mean, I really don't think it's right that you will have to wait so long, to have it seen . I think it would be completely reasonable to go back to the doctor and actually say 'I'd like to be sent on a two week referral, please' -because even if you're young, a lump is a potential cancer symptom -and doctors are supposed to treat it as one; even in young people -the bottom line is -your dr doesn't have x-ray eyes - so he can't absolutely know what's going on in that lump.(maybe don't put it quite like that!). If it turns out not to be cancer -and hopefully, that will be the case- the nhs won't go bankrupt, because one person went on a slightly faster appointment time! -but if it did turn out to be, then knowing now could definitely make a difference. It might only be the difference between more or less aggressive treatment, but honestly, if you were unlucky, it could make the difference between still being alive in five years time, and not being. I would go back and be insistant - can you take anyone with you, to see the dr -like a relative, but even a friend? Anyway, I would go back and say you need it resolving, sooner than the appointment time you've been given. I would explain about the new job etc; you shouldn't be having to live with worry of not knowing it is ok or not, all that time time. Sorry for being worrying about the cancer aspect, but I do think you need to be pushy about it. I'm not an expert -but a lump needs to be taken seriously; also young people do get cancer, I think I remember seeing in the news, about a study that said young people in the uk, wait too long to get diagnosed -because drs tend to say -'Oh, you're young; it'll be fine' anyway good luck and I do hope you get it sorted out soon (:

Hi! Thanks for keeping us updated :) It’s great you’ve got a consultation booked now & I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to go at the beginning of term in a new job but that really does seem quite a long time to have to wait... I would 2nd what user1498581287 said – it would be a fantastic idea to go back to the GP & tell them you want to get this seen sooner – so that it's done before term starts. You could even ask to be self-referred if they don't seem keen on pushing you up the queue! (Also, if you didn’t before, I’d mention that it’s causing skin discolouration)

I know it can be embarrassing asking for faster/different treatment but sometimes, it's for the best. Before being going to hospital, I was told by GPs “you’re too young for cancer” & “you’re not in any at risk categories” (I was a healthy 22yr old) & left to my own devices would’ve just accepted that because I knew cancer IS rare when you’re young & didn’t want to make a fuss, or look like a ‘worrier’. It was basically only because my mum was concerned & practically dragged me back in that I ended up getting a quick referral! Although at the time, I felt a bit awkward about it, I'm so relieved that she did - given that in my case, it was cancer & knowing earlier is obviously much better! Tbh though, even if it had been nothing serious, it would’ve made me happy getting answers quickly, rather than waiting for ages with uncertainty!

As you’re starting a new job in Sep, it would be nice if you didn’t have any kind of health worries hanging over you - & I think you could tell a GP that too. If it’s seen at hospital before school starts, then at least you’ll have more of an idea of what will be happening. If it does turn out to be a benign lump, they might well still need to remove it - if you go soon, perhaps it could even be sorted before you’re a bridesmaid (or at least at half term, rather than having to wait till Christmas or something, if you're only seen for the initial consult in Oct). Ps - I can see where you mean in the pic - I don’t think it would be very noticeable if I wasn’t looking for it but it must be miserable knowing it’s there. Sorry for the super long post!! Best wishes & good luck with it all x