following a routine visit to my Dentist who discovered a lump in my palate, i was diagnosed with cancer in the soft palate. as it was noticed at a very early stage after the biopsy and operation to remove it, i was lucky to be given the all clear after one year of regular check ups. i have now an obturator, which helps with speaking and eating, but i have been discussing with my consultant the possibilty of covering the hole in my soft palate, undergoing an opertaion which will involve taken some soft tissue from my body, to close the gap. The dental hospital which did my obturator, feel that i could leave my self open to more problem, but i feel that i would like to have the operation done. My Consulatnt is brillinat ,but has anyone had a similar operation? , i would really welcome their advice. Many many thanks. Fburghin

Hi Burghin

If the defect is within the soft palate, it should be closed by a graft and you should swallow as well as you can now. It should be done as it will get rid of the need to wear the prosthesis. But if you need to wear the prosthesis to replace missing teeth too, etc then you would be no better off as you may still need to wear it.

However the situation is different if the defect is at the posterior border of the soft palate and it needs extending posteriorly. The problem is that the soft tissue repair can only approximate what extension is optimal and cannot be modified without more surgery and it cannot be titrated against your swallow muscle movements in the throat to allow optimal extension to achieve a seal as you will be asleep during the operation. The acrylic of an obturator is easier to modify ( add or subtract) until it is just right for you.

There is more information in this paper (PDF) on Functional Rehabilitation but it might be a bit too much to take in!

My view is that you should follow the advice of the prosthodontist at the dental hopspital if the surgeon can't give you a guaranteed success.

Best wishes
Vinod

I had a dentl clening today and my Hygenist noticed a lump on my soft pallet and it is irritated. The Dr. confirmed. I will go back in 2 weeks to have them look at it again.

I am concerned. Could this possibly be cancer?

Thank you, runner

Welcome Runner, Please try not to worry just yet. It could be almost ANYTHING. You see every bump, lump, spot or pain in the mouth area does not always mean it is the big "C". You are SMART tho for having this check out. Keep thinking good thoughts until you find out what this is. Please keep us informed on this, Always Vicki Lynn

Hi Vicki, thank you for your calming suggestions of not worrying. I will give an up date in a week with my follow up. I'm trying not to put the goose in the bottle : )

Thank you, Runner