Let me start by saying that I am paranoid when it comes to things in my mouth.....

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a small hard lump (maybe slightly larger than a BB) at the root of my second molar, right where the gums meet the floor of the mouth. This is on the cheek side of my gums. The lump is movable when I press on it, but it is very hard, almost like bone. There is nothing on my gum or cheek tissue that would suggest to me that anything is wrong, and I can just barely notice the lump if I pull the skin tight by pulling down on my lip and cheek.

I visit the dentist regularly, and had a thorough oral cancer screening back in May (which came out fine), and I'm going for my next regular visit in two weeks. I guess the reason I'm worried is because this seems to be something I would have noticed before if it was there, but I suppose that I may just have never noticed it. There is also no similar bump on the other side of my mouth. I have also chewed tobacco for several years (I'm 27) and drink occassionally. I am in the process of giving up chewing now. I've looked at all the other posts and many images, but I haven't seen a discussion of anything like what I found in my mouth.

I also had gum grafts done about 3 years ago, but not in this exact area. The grafts were a couple of teeth over. I think the lower incisor, if there's such a thing. I didn't know if it could be related. I'm paranoid, and it might be nothing, I just figured I'd ask an expert's opinion while I'm waiting for my dental appointment to come up. Thanks for your help.

I should probably also add that the lump is painless, and as far as I can tell, does not seem to be increasing or decreasing in size. Thanks.

Hi jc78

I can't tell you what it is but it doesn't fit in with descriptions of a mouth cancer. Could it be a ball of thick pus under the gum from a non-vital tooth or fibrous tissue (fibroma) or a lump of fatty tissue (lipoma)? Boney lumps are not mobile. Hope thast helps. Do let us know what your dentist says.

Best wishes
Vinod

I was slightly mistaken when I gave my description earlier. This lump is in my lip tissue, it just felt like it was in my gum to the touch. Anyway, I had my dental appointment today, and the dentist said that it was most likely a mucocele, but he set up an appointment with an oral surgeon tommorow to have him look at it to make sure. He said that it was not cancer, but needless to say, I'm still terrified, and sick of waiting to find out. Hopefully he's right, and hopefully I'll find that out for sure tomorrow.

Well, I saw the oral surgeon Thursday. He felt the lump, still not sure what it is, but he was leaning towards a fibroma. He said he is 90% sure that it is not cancer, and left it up to me on whether or not to take it out and biopsy it. I decided to have him take it out to make sure, and I'm having this done Monday morning. He said the procedure would take less than 30 minutes and will only require local anesthesia. His comments are encouraging, but I'm not going to feel comfortable until I know for sure that it's benign. Wish me luck. Thanks.

Good luck cj78. I am sure it will turn out benign.

Best wishes
Vinod

Dr. Joshi: Just figured I'd share the results of my biopsy. It came back benign, thankfully, and the Doctor said that it was an organized thrombus, which he said is basically vascular tissue, and scar tissue, or at least something along those lines. (I probably spelled that wrong) I'm sure you understand what he's talking about. Anyway, this scared me enough that I've now been off the chew for three weeks, so this has probably been a blessing in disguise. Thanks for taking time out of your day to answer my questions and give me reassurance. Take care.

You take care, too.