Hi,
I have a few problems with my health involving my mouth/neck area, and was hoping I could get some advice. I have a doctors appointment on the 17th May, to discuss something else and will mention my symptoms then, but in the meantime I would like some help. This will probably be pretty long, so I apologise in advance.
I am a 20 (nearly 21) year old Female, I don't smoke, and neither do I really drink, if I do it's no more than a few small bottles (275ml size bottles) of alcohol at a time (5 at most with about 4% alcohol in each bottle) months apart. When I was younger I was pretty bad at taking care of my teeth. I still have all of my own teeth (bar 4 that I had removed to fit a brace that I had after all my adult teeth came through), but I have a lot of fillings and have had gingivitis on and off for years.
Anyway. I have been having trouble with my lower left molar (second from back) for around 7-8 months. I see my dentist every 3 months, due to my previous poor oral hygiene. I first started having problems with this tooth around September or October last year. My dentist took the filling in my tooth out and looked in my tooth, he said he couldn't see anything wrong and put me in a 5 day course of amoxicillin. This stopped the pain and when I went back a few days later, he simply RE filled my tooth with a normal filling and sent me home. Fast forward a few months to February of this year. Same tooth starts acting up again, though this time the pain was minimal and I could bare it, so I (stupidly) decided I could wait until my next check up to have it sorted.
Around 25th of April my tooth was really beginning to hurt and my gum where the tooth is had swollen up, and I had a tender bulge on my left jaw. I made an appointment and saw the dentist a few days later, again he took my filling out and out a temporary one in, and said he thought my tooth had been infected by the filling. He gave me another 5 day course of amoxicillin and put some antibiotics in the infected tooth, before putting the temp filling in, and said to make my check up appointment that I had in a few days longer and he would give me a root canal.
The antibiotics I had reduced the swelling of my gum and face, but I still had a bump under my gum where the swelling was. I went in on Thursday 2nd May and had the root canal done. He took is x-rays of my tooth where the infection was mouth (as he always does, regardless of what I'm there for.) one before and one after. He done my root canal and told me to book and appointment in 3 months.
It's been a week since I had the root canal done and the bump on my gum is still there, it's not painful to touch (though there is something behind it that is a sore to touch, though I think that is where he injected the anaesthetic). I have noticed that in the last few days the left side of my face has swollen up a little bit (feel it more than see it), and I have a very slight, non painfully bump on the left side of my jaw, it's a little tender to touch. I have been getting a mild tingling sensation and...numbness?(I'm not sure if numbness is the right word as I could still feel when I touched it and the difference between hot a cold etc...) on the left side of my face, around the cheek jaw area. My cheek is a little tender to touch and feels (though this could be my imagination) a bit thicker than my right, if I slip my finger inside my mouth and leave my thumb on the outside and light squeeze. The left side of my neck feels a bit bigger to me and sometimes has a very dull ache at the top near my jaw.
I done what I always do when I have a problem, and consulted Dr. Google about my symptoms. First thing that comes up?. Oral cancer. Given the fact that I have had a mild to moderate sore throat for a week or so, that comes and goes throughout the day and feel like there is something stuck in my throat (had this feeling got over a year on and off, doctor felt my throat last week and said she couldn't feel any abnormalities). My left cheek is slightly warmer to touch than the right.
Now I am really scared that I have Oral and/or Throat Cancer. I've had blood tests sent off recently for other reasons I've been worrying about. Was tested for thyroid, glucose and if I remember rightly I had a full blood count as well. I got the results back today and they are all clear. Looking in the Internet signs of abnormalities such as Oral Cancer will not show up in a blood test (I know blood tests don't show cancer, but abnormalities in things such as your White Blood Cell count.)
I wanted to know if it could be cancer, or if it's more likely the infection could have spread from the tooth and be causing these problems I'm having (I know that is serious too as it could enter my bloodstream, heart, brain etc...). I am occasionally getting mild shooting pains from the side I had the root canal in the same place (could the tooth behind be infected? As that's where the shooting pains are coming from). But I can't see my dentist yet as they are closed for the next coupe if weeks for reconstruction. The only other dentist in the area is a private one which I could not afford the treatment costs for.
I don't have any white patches in my mouth that I can see, I my tongue sometimes gets some white stuff on it, but it brushes off for the most part (it doesn't look like what pics on google of leukoplakia look like, but I could be wrong) and I have very small smooth oval type things on my tongue (2 of them), they are only a slightly darker shade than the rest of my tongue. Though I do have these very small pimple type thing in the corners of my mouth (inside, one one each side) that are very slightly, a lighter colour than the rest of my mouth, with thin straight line going away from them, which ho down to my gums at the back of my mouth, are they normal?. They don't hurt at all, nor do I have trouble breathing or swallowing. I cant feel any lumps or bumps in my cheek, or anywhere else in my mouth, apart from the one I mentioned on my gum. I have not lost my appetite that I've noticed but I have lost weight for no reason over the past few weeks. The doctor thinks that is due to me worrying about my health. I lost 8lbs before the doctor saw me , but I'm not sure in what time down that was in, as I hadn't weighed myself in 9 months before I started worrying about everything. I just assumed I lost it all recently and started scaring myself into thinking I had something horrible and she believes I lost extra weight in past week or so because of anxiety.
Wow, that was much longer than intended, but I though I'd get it all out there.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and I appreciate any help you could give me.
I know Dr Google can be helpful - but like all medical information sources it can be a blunt instrument. It has to state all possibilities.
Yes it COULD be oral cancer - but I really doubt it. Given the history I would go back to your dentist since he (much more so than a GP) is the expert in the things dental and related to the mouth.( I have to attend a head and neck cancer clinic - and my bloods are taken by dental nurses)
I would think it is much more likely to be related to the infection and the all the dental work you have had done.
But no-one on these forums can diagnose. I am speaking as a pharmacist who has some experience in dealing with dental infections. If you were standing in front of me in a pharmacy asking me for advice, I would be advising you to go back to the dentist.
Good luck
Hi,
Thanks for your reply, I made an appointment this morning to see my dentist. I have an appointment booked for Tuesday at 12:00. Fingers crossed it is due to the infection seeing as I left it a while to get it treated.
Obviously I don't know, but id assume it I did have cancer of some for then my dentist would have seen some signs of it in the X-rays he took on the 2nd. Unless it was in a different place to where he took the X-rays, as he only done it on one side, but that side is also where my problems are. Of course X-rays can't in anyway diagnose the cancer (if it is that), but I'd assume there would be some signs of it in the X-rays.
Google can be a marvellous source of information, though it can also mislead and create fear and distress.
As Sally said nobody, even if they were a qualified dentist, could give a 100% accurate diagnosis over the Internet.
In my humble opinion I don't think for a moment that you have oral cancer. (You don't smoke and your alcohol consumption is minimal..) So don't go getting yourself into a state of panic.
You've had quite a bit of dental work that has flared up, for whatever reason.
What to do? It's clearly a job for a dentist. You say your regular dental surgery is closed for refurbishment? There is an emergency dentist covering though? A second opinion mightn't be a bad idea.
You've got some inflammation there, I expect you'll get more antibiotics. It may well settle down after that.
You can't change your past poor diet and poor dental hygiene, but that was then, this is now. With a healthy diet and careful brushing and flossing you can keep your teeth and gums in good order for many, many years ahead.
And if it was me, I'd be looking at some quality 'Osteo' supplements with a view to maintaining and possibly remineralising the teeth.
Thank you very much for replying. I have made an appointment to see my (well I say my, but I've never been to this dentist) dentist, for Tuesday. It's a little while away (couple hours on bus) but I'd rather have it looked at as opposed to leaving it, and letting whatever it is get worse.
Hi AJE
Agree with other two posts.
My tuppence worth-because of poor health of gums they are getting infected and the rest of it
Glad you are seeing the dentist...to rule out any nasties and have a proper diagnosis
I have one recommendation. I suffered from severe deficiency of vit c, resulting in receding of gums and constant infection in gums poor health overall. It was after my second son's birth and also due to tha fact that I don't bother to eat much fruit.
. My dentist completely missed that bit, he did not say much other than that I have very poor gums:rolleyes:.
On this same forum, I came to read of another member's positive experience from a dose of vitamin c 1000mg and co Q10 200 mg taken together. I can veto the same results. With in weeks of taking it my gums statred to feel better and mouth generally healthier. Infections went too.... The weeker the gums more infection they catch and getting weeker as a result of each infection...it is a vicious circle.
Please don't worry. You are young and strong and your body can get over this with ease. I feel you will sail through this challenge stay strong
Loving hugs to you
Definitely agree with everything Sally has said. Also, if you are in pain and have 'heat' in the area around your tooth and the surrounding jaw, then it's worthy of a trip to an emergency dentist for more effective meds.
I broke a tooth after a fall one New Years day morning (0600 - I had just got up to feed the hens, so can't blame a boozy night out). The pain was so intense I rang NHS 24, and they directed me to the Emergency Dental Surgery at a hospital about 20 miles away. Have to say when I got there, at about 0800, the staff were brilliant, and I was patched up within 20 minutes and booked in, by them thru various 'intranets',to see my own dentist as an 'urgent' case, on the 3rd of Jan.
Thank you for the reassurance. I'll have a look into the suppluments I've been suggested to use. Hopefully they'll help me feel a little better, I'll ask the dentist what he/she thinks I should do to help improve the health of my gums as well.
Hi Jabba,
The pain isn't too bad at the moment, just slight twinges and mild shooting pains on and off. I've not experienced any hot feeling as of yet though. Glad you got yours all sorted :). The receptionist said of it gets worse then to come in and they'll get me a slot as an emergency patient.
Hi,
i don't no about this topic not much please contact your near Dr.