During a routine visit to my dentist an x ray has shown up a shadow on my lower jaw, approximately 2 inches long running from about the middle of my chin towards my right ear.
I have no pain, swelling or other discomfort or discolouration of the area that is visible.

My dentist had no idea what it could be and referred me to the local hospital dental unit. I was expecting an appointment to be seen by them, but instead i have received an appointment (in 16 weeks time) for the maxillo surgical team.

I know that these teams specialise in oral cancers. I have also recently been treated for a persistent """frog""" in the throat with occasional lump on the right side of my neck, but a CT scan was negative and the diagnosis was mucal congestion, a side effect of the severe asthma with which i suffer.

So my questions :

1) is it usual for this sort of case to be seen by the maxillo surgical team rather than just a hospital dentist and;
2) would the scan i have just had have shown up any problems related to this issue?
3) any thoughts about what it can be?

Hello Lad491

You have been referred to the local experts (maxillofacial unit) who in addition to dealing with fractured jaws, wisdom teeth, mouth cancer also deal with X-files like yours for investigation. A cancer in the jaw bone would usually cause one or all of the following: swelling of the bone, loosening of teeth in the area and numbness of the lip as it presses on the nerve in the jaw bone. You don't appear to have these symptoms and your CT scan was negative. Sometimes, it is just a bone cavity that requires no treatment! So quit worrying. Let us know what it is.

Best wishes
Vinod

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Vinod K Joshi,

Thanks Dr Vinod Your reply has reassured me somewhat. You are right that i dont appear to have any of the symptoms you mentioned. In fact I was totally unaware of anything until the recent dental checkup.

So i'll try and forget it for the next 16 weeks and i will certainly let you know what the eventual diagnosis is. Thanks again.

Well after a long wait I finally got to see the specialist at the maxillo facial clinic. They repeated the x ray done by my dentist, and Im pleased to say that the shadow causing concern has almost gone - just a tiny bit left.

Its thought it may have just been a localised infection ( which luckily caused my no pain ) and has now almost gone. A thorough investigation of my mouth showed no problems. Recommendation is that i be re xrayed in 6 months to see if the mark is still there or if it has gone completely.

However ... in the interim a routine chest x ray (im an asthmatic and generally have one every couple of years) has shown significant thickening of the pleura of the right lung. Im due for more tests in 2 weeks (on Christmas Eve). Hopefully that will be nothing more than scarring also.

Great news, Lad491!

Keep well, Vinod