Hi,
At the beginning of January, I noticed a small bump in my gum on the lower inside of my teeth. It is located at the point where my tooth meets my gum behind the left incisor. It was not really painful, but somewhat tender & irritating and felt different than the rest of my gums, smoother, firm (not hard like a bone, but not moveable either) and raised. The color is a little off from my normal pink, maybe a bit of blue-ish in there though it's hard to see. (I have no silver fillings). My dentist checked it very briefly at my check up in mid-February and said it's fine, don't worry about it. About a week ago I noticed ear pressure in the same side as the bump. I do have seasonal spring allergies and some sinus/nasal congestion, so I wonder if it it's coincidence and I'm just overly tuned in to anything going on in my head. My left jaw has felt strange too though. Not painful, just pressure. It still hasn't gone away so I sought another opinion and the new dentist recommended that I see an oral surgeon. He thought it didn't seem cancerous, nor was it a simple plugged salivary gland, but still recommended I see an oral surgeon. Does anyone have thoughts about this? Of course, I'm very worried. I couldn't get in with the oral surgeon until 3rd week in May. Many thanks to anyone who is able to provide some insights. (I'm 36 and a non-smoker & drink alcohol light/moderate). Thanks!

Hi JT

It's hard to say what the cause of this bump might be, but it sounds like you're doing the right things by getting opinions and follow-ups. Is it possible that you've got an infection under the left incisor? Or perhaps a microscopic crack? Congratulations, by the way, on not having any silver fillings; until last year I had three teeth that were more filling than tooth. But I digress.

You mentioned pressure in your ear. Is it more like pressure you'd have with a cold or sinus situation, or sharp pain like you'd have with an ear infection? Have you taken anything to relieve the pressure? Did it work? I ask because sharp ear pain was one of my symptoms and I took OTC head cold meds for a month or so, and tylenol by the cupful (analgesic nephropathy here I come?) to no avail.

I know that telling you not to worry is pointless--for me, it's akin to being told try not to breathe--but do try to relax. The best way to do that is to stop doing research on the internet; worst case scenarios seem to be their specialty. Would it be possible to get your appointment with the oral surgeon moved up at all? If not, you might want to try to get an appointment with an otolaryngologist.

Please let us know how things turn out for you. I'm hoping for the best.

Julia

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Julia,

Thanks for the response Julia~ It is hard to relax and not worry. The pressure/discomfort feels like pressure from a cold or allergies. Not sharp like an infection. Actually, I'm going to call again tomorrow and try to get in earlier with the oral surgeon. Also, I have an appt with my GP to check my ears this week. Depending on how that goes, I may make an appt with my son's ENT as well just to cover the bases. We'll see... I appreciate your comments!