|
Oral Cancer Screening Laser
Oral Surgery Resources
Question:
I am a 26 year old male and something has been bothering me all week. About a week ago, I noticed a swollen lump under my jaw approximately halfway between the corner of my jaw and my chin on the left side of my face. The lump feels like it is attached to the bone (in that there is no discernable gap between it aned my jawbone) and it is hard and slightly rubbery and about the size of a pea. There is no pain in any teeth or the lump, but I was sort of freaking out thinking that it could be an abcess of some kind.
My wisdom teeth were removed 8 years ago, and I currently have an onlay on my lower back molar and a crown on the tooth in front of that; both less than 2 years old. Since there was no pain at all, I'm thinking that maybe one of my submandibular lymph glands is swollen for some reason? I had a mild cold about 3 weeks ago, and currently don't feel ill at all. A few days ago the lump was about the size of the top knuckle of my thumb (which is why I noticed it in the first place), but has since gone down to the size of a pea. I have been treating it with heat packs but I have no idea as to whether this caused the swelling to go down.
I called my dentist and she said that since there was no pain and the swelling was going down it was most likely not a tooth problem (I had a cavity-free checkup 3 months ago). I suppose my question is what could this lump be, why doesn't it hurt, and should I be concerned? In a possible related note, I've noticed that my back left molar (the one with the onlay) looks to have a greyish area under it.
This could have been there the whole time and I just noticed it because I was freaking out about the lump and my teeth, but could this be decay (greyish area maybe covers half the total onlay surface)? If it is decay, wouldn't I be in a great deal of pain right now, and would it be possible to have such a large area of decay 3 months after negative X-Ray exams? Thank you in advance for any information and advice you may be able to provide.
Answer:
I understand your concern and by now you should have seen this lump disappear or change in some way. I still recommend going in for an updated x-ray just to be sure it's not dental in origin.
The grey hue under your gold onlay could just be the metal transmitting light etc. It could also be some type of decay under the onlay and this can go unnoticed in a x-ray sometimes due to the angle of the film or blockage of the crown etc.
One quick checkup and film and possibly pulp testing to confirm the vitality of you teeth in the area may give you a sense of peace.
|
|
