How do I know if a post-extraction oral lesion is cancer or not?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had my wisdom tooth extraction a few weeks back, and now I have jaw pain and discomfort in my mouth. Sometimes I have a feeling that something is inside my mouth.

I had this weird feeling of something being lodged in my tongue for a while before my wisdom tooth was extracted. One lymph node under the jaw is hard to touch and bigger on one side. Could it be because of mouth cancer?

I was concerned and worried about whether I had mouth or jaw cancer before the wisdom tooth extraction. I have had smoking habits on and off for the past few years, but I have not smoked more than four cigarettes per day for around four years.

I also have a small nodule on the tonsil. The feeling of something rubbing against my tongue on one side makes me gag when I speak. Also, when the dentist put an anesthetic in the upper jaw, it felt extremely painful. It was into the hinge part of the jaw, and it has been painful for a while now.

Kindly suggest.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern. I will be answering your queries shortly.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I have replied to your queries in detail.

Thank you.

Answer 3

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Lymph node inflammation in the neck, tonsil patches, or nodes does not mean you have mouth cancer. However, because you are experiencing severe oral discomfort while eating and drinking (the pressing feeling you have in the throat), that is a common symptom of many oral conditions called dysphagia.

If your symptoms had aggravated after tooth extraction, then it might be complications of an unhealed extraction site or incorrect local anesthetic injection, both of which are possible. I would advise you to stop smoking completely or at least reduce the number of cigarettes smoked daily.

Smoking increases the risk of developing serious oral conditions that usually start from precancerous lesions. On the other hand, you might have an oral condition due to chronic smoking, which may not be cancerous but certainly painful.

I suggest you consult a maxillofacial surgeon to get your soft palate and tonsil examination done. You can either consult an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist or a maxillofacial surgeon.

Antibiotics cannot treat dysphagia; the underlying cause should be known. If a biopsy is needed in the clinic, the surgeon or ENT specialist will send a sample of the tissue or node. On analysis, you will know what kind of cells are there and the correct diagnosis.

Your dentist will put you on local medications to ease dysphagia if it is benign (non-cancerous), a normal red or white lesion, or an unhealed extraction site. An unhealed extraction site or even TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problem can give you trismus because there is a recent history of wisdom tooth extraction.

So please get the consistency of the lesion or tissue checked at the maxillofacial surgeon's clinic; if needed biopsy will be done. Or else they will prescribe the appropriate medication after manual diagnosis for dysphagia and trismus.

I hope you find this helpful.

Thank you.

Answer 4

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern. No need to get tense. It would just be a red or white lesion, and it requires an in-depth physical examination.

I reviewed the images you have attached (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). But it is impossible to assess the full extent of the lesion in the picture.

The possibility of a precancerous lesion is because you have a history of cigarette smoking. I suggest you consult an ENT specialist as early as possible and start the treatment.

Thank you.

Answer 5

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I reviewed the images you have attached (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). It looks like a red oral lesion at the junction of the soft palate and the tonsil. You have to get the consistency checked by a specialist doctor.

I do not feel it would be cancerous or even precancerous by its appearance. However, I think you must visit a specialist doctor as soon as possible and get it examined.

Meanwhile, you can do lukewarm salt water rinsing six to seven times a day for a week to relieve dysphagia.

Thank you.

Answer 6

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Do not be too anxious. The lesion does not look cancerous from your details and the attached images (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). However, the incidence of precancer lesions in smokers is more, and there is a possibility. Therefore, consult your specialist doctor as early as possible.

Thank you.