Omg please any dentists take a look at this. Panicking

[Gordon]

No worries, not many dentists do biopsies, but I wasn't a regular dentist

I used both dissolving and black silk, I kind of prefer the silk ones as then I can control when they come out, the self dissolving ones either go too fast or are still there weeks later! I'd be seeing the patient in a week or so to go over the results from the biopsy anyway, so might as well do the sutures at the same time.

BTW getting sutures out is much much easier than getting them in, as I'm sure you know, but just in case anyone else is reading this

Bleeding isn't a problem you're not going down very deeply.

Let me know how you get on in the New Year.

 

[Niki87]

Will do definitely. I am hoping for a better one than this year! In the meantime, I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. You deserve it

 

[Niki87]

@Gordon Hi Gordon, Happy new year! Just a bit of an update, I haven’t yet seen the oral surgeon who comes to my practice yet, but before Christmas I saw my GP as I’ve been getting a lot of sore throats on that side aswell and I showed her my tongue, she said she would refer me to head and neck/ENT, anyway it got triaged back to oral surgeon as they said that was more appropriate.

So I saw them today, was someone different this time and he’s actually a professor. He told my to relax my tongue then pulled it right out, he then managed to have a good feel round the area and says he thinks it is normal tongue tissue/ tonsil tissue. He looked at the other side and said yes it looks different to the other side but things aren’t always symmetrical both sides but can still be normal. He did not want to biopsy and said by all means watch it and if it changes or becomes ulcerated they would look at it again or do a scan (not sure what type of scan they can do?) but basically as it is he doesn’t think it’s anything to worry about and he would be happy for me to pursue whatever work I need eg implant etc.

Now I should feel really reassured by this and I’m so mad with myself that I am STILL worried about it. Why can’t I just accept that and respect his opinion based on his extensive experience. It doesn’t help that my tongue is still so sore on that side and I know it’s there and is something that just doesn’t look or feel right.

I think I need to try and put it to the back of my mind, and focus on where I go from here. Nobody has been overly concerned about it and the only Dr that would do a biopsy was only going on a photo.

I think I am more anxious as I am on the cusp of having to make some expensive decisions to try and restore my bite/function and have been worried about proceeding because of this.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Gordon]

not sure what type of scan they can do?

MRI probably.

Honestly I really don't think you need to worry about this any more.

People are very asymmetrical, when I was doing anatomy in 1978 our cadaver had a whole extra muscle on one side of the larynx for example (my professor was very impressed and it finished up being in an academic paper). First and last time my anatomy professor was in any way impressed with anything I'd done

 

[Niki87]

@Gordon haha, thanks Gordon. I know I should stop worrying about it so much now. It has been checked out. I can always get it looked at if it starts to change or gets bigger. Am I right in thinking that if something is nasty in the mouth they generally change/grow quite quickly? What I mean is if this still looks the same in the longer term and doesn’t change, even though it may still be there, that’s a good sign right?
I mean for all I know it may have been there like that a long while anyway, I probably only noticed it through being hypervigilant of that area of my mouth with everything else that had been going on.

And what sort of signs should I be looking out for if it changes, is ulceration the main thing?
Thanks again Gordon

 

[Gordon]

What I mean is if this still looks the same in the longer term and doesn’t change, even though it may still be there, that’s a good sign right?

Yes, pretty much so yes.

And what sort of signs should I be looking out for if it changes, is ulceration the main thing?

Change in colour, swelling/enlargement, pain, bleeding.