Rather unexpected dental issue

[mamadogmamacat]

Had my first routine cleaning and exam at the dentist after my COBRA ran out. Price was acceptable to me at $145. However, the hygienist and dentist both noticed a red area on the gum above a tooth. Frankly, since i have significant gum recession throughout, I had thought this was more of the same when noticing it myself , thinking Ok this is what that process looks like and I just happened to see it because there it is on a front tooth. No big deal silly ignorant me thought. Well, the dentist thought otherwise and asked if I had been brushing too hard. I thought no, no change in brushing habits. Well, we waited three more weeks and I was extra careful in brushing. No change when i has a free re-check this week. Now, I'm off to a specialist for presumably a biopsy. Appt is in a couple weeks, first I could get. I have never smoked, drink little, eat well and have no known family history of such things.
So, quite surprised and a tad concerned. Hence, looking for collective wisdom on this and any similar experiences, with outcome. From a quick Google search, my hope is it is a pre cancerous lesion, and can be removed. Although even with those, it seems re-occurrence is likely.

 

[NoMoreJob]

Did you get medical insurance to replace your Cobra?

 

[omni550]

I doubt that this what happened in your case, but since you asked...

I have healthy gums, no periodontal issues.

I had root canals on 2 front teeth fifty years ago, followed by crowns on my front 4 teeth about twenty years ago. Ten years ago, I noticed some gum redness above one of these teeth. The gum area reddened and became more tender over the next day or two. I got into my dentist promptly, they xrayed it, and sent me to a periodontist, and then an oral surgeon, etc. Lots of opinions and proposed courses of treatment.

Long story short, somehow a hole had opened up in tip of the root (of one of the teeth with a root canal) way above the gum line. (I still wonder if this was somehow related to the original removal of the tooth's nerve and subsequent packing with gutta percha?) When my dentist got access to this area, it kept bleeding which stymied his efforts to put a filling-type plug (my terminology, as best as I could understand what he was doing). I swear I literally focused my energy (I know, it sounds a bit woo-woo, but it was all I could do at the moment) in stopping the bleeding for the few seconds he needed to make his repair. The bleeding stopped for a brief moment and he did the repair. I've not had any problems since.

I hope you get a quick and easy solution to your dental issue. It's scary and can be painful, too.

omni

 

[mamadogmamacat]

thanks for the replies
glad it worked out well in the end for you omni550

I have no interest in making this a financial discussion
I've been in plenty of those regarding aspects of HI and dental ins
sorry if i misled on that account
i tend to tell things in story mode so to speak, and sorry if that misled in regards what my question is
I'm only interested in anyone who wishes to share their outcomes with similar issues
I agree doubt this is what omni550 suffered through, simply because there is no pain or discomfort at all, and my dentist of many years is convinced there is no issue with the surrounding teeth or their roots
hence the referral to the specialist
we will see what comes of that early next month

 

[bbbamI]

I haven't experienced what you are going through, but I did have an issue in my mouth. It's a long story, but part of my problem is a dry mouth.

I saw a lot of different doctors in the beginning. A few thoughts came to my mind while reading your post. Have you changed your toothpaste or mouthwash? If they have alcohol, they could irritate the gum area. I use Biotene products now. The other questions asked of me was what medications do I take, do I take a multi vitamin and it was suggested a complete blood work analysis should be done to see if anything was off kilter.

Wishing you the best.

ETA: I had a biopsy in my mouth and it was painless. Thankfully it was negative.

 

[healthyandfun]

During a dental exam about five years ago, the dentist discovered a small, whiteish spot under my tongue. I hadn’t realized I had it as it was painless. I waited two weeks and it did not go away. Saw an oral surgeon. He was puzzled as I did not have the usual risk factors such as smoking and drinking. Due to the location of the spot and the small size, it was removed (no fun) and biopsied. The report said it was precancerous, but the beginning stage. After that, I started a weekly self exam using a flashlight and have the dentist do an exam twice a year. Oral surgeon suggested this regimen for five years. About three years ago, a spot not exactly like the last one appeared on my gum of lower front tooth. One day it wasn’t there and the next day it was. I waited two weeks and saw the oral surgeon again. I again decided to have it removed and biopsied. I don’t recall the medical name for it, but it was basically a callous. I still do the weekly self exam which the oral surgeon suggested I do for the rest of my life. After two yearly exams by the dentist for five years, he suggested I could reduce it to an annual exam, but to always have the dentist do it every year because they can see every nook and cranny in the mouth.

I did a ton of research and read some really sad stories about people who ignored things. There are a variety of lesions That can appear in the mouth. Most are not cancerous. Best to have it checked out if it does not go away after two weeks. My best wishes and hopes for a quick resolution.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Thanks to both of you

Will let you know what happens next month

Good to hear most are not the big C

my, admittedly brief, searches seemed to indicate my chances in that regard were about 50-50

and no, no changes in toothpaste, mouthwash, etc

 

[HadEnuff]

Retired dentist here. In my career I referred hundreds for evaluation. Less than a handful were the Big C. You gotta do it, but try not to lose any sleep.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

OP update:

Benign granuloma - found that out last week

had follow up appt today - healing well but still some small area of irritated tissue - so will continue to make sure I keep it as clean as possible and will have another follow up in six weeks

dr has made comment several times that these frequently re-occur
hope i get lucky and not have that happen

upon reflection, i do wonder if the cause could have been from using (I have since stopped) a between teeth bristle brush (something the hygienist recommended six months ago and gave me samples of, cant recall the exact name or brand) I believe flossing is enough (dr even said a cut from the floss could have been the root cause) as i am consistent in flossing and have been for years

 

[NoMoreJob]

Glad to hear that it turned out not to be something more serious.